exploring the role of ict- enabled social innovation to
TRANSCRIPT
Exploring the role of ICT-
Enabled Social Innovation to
support the modernisation of EU Social Protection Systems
Findings and insights from analysis of case studies in fourteen Member States
Gianluca Misuraca Giulio Pasi Fabienne
Abadie Csaba Kucsera and Marco Virginillo
2017
EUR 28570 EN
This publication is a Science for Policy report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) the European Commissionrsquos
science and knowledge service It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European
policymaking process The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European
Commission Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is
responsible for the use that might be made of this publication
Contact information
Gianluca Misuraca Senior Scientist IESI Project Leader
European Commissions Joint Research Centre Directorate for Growth amp Innovation Seville Spain
Email gianlucamisuracaeceuropaeu
JRC Science Hub
httpseceuropaeujrc
JRC106484
EUR 28570 EN
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8 ISSN 1831-9424 doi102760256658
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
copy European Union 2017
The reuse of the document is authorised provided the source is acknowledged and the original meaning or
message of the texts are not distorted The European Commission shall not be held liable for any consequences
stemming from the reuse
How to cite this report Misuraca G Pasi G Abadie F Kucsera C Virginillo M (2017) Exploring the role
of ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to support the modernisation of EU Social Protection Systems findings and
insights from analysis of case studies in fourteen Member States EUR 28570 EN doi102760256658
All images copy European Union 2017
Title Findings and insights from analysis of case studies on the role of ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to
support the modernisation of Social Protection Systems in the EU
Abstract
This report presents the results of the analysis of case studies on how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting
social investment can contribute to the modernisation of social protection systems in the EU The case studies
are drawn from 14 different Member States and address diverse social services and policy domains Evidence
from the analysis points out to the strong potential of using new approaches based on ICT-enabled social
innovation to support public authorities at various governance levels in their efforts to improve the
effectiveness and impact of social services delivery mechanisms and outreach The analysis makes a first
attempt to assess the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled social innovation and the
broader social protection system in which they are embedded in The results of the cross-analysis of case
studies allowed defining a set of policy implications that can help policy makers to drive social change Among
many two in particular might be considered especially relevant in order to take full advantage of ICT-enabled
social innovation potential the simplification of procedures through an open-government approach and the use
of European Structural and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
1
Acknowledgments
This report has been elaborated by the IESI Team of the Human Capital and Employment
Unit of the European Commissions Joint Research Centre Directorate B - Growth and
Innovation It is part of the research on ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to support the
implementation of the Social Investment Package conducted with DG Employment Social
Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) It also integrates the findings of the Study on the role of
ICT-enabled Social Innovation promoting social investment in support to the
modernisation of Social Protection Systems in the EU conducted by KPMG Advisory Spa
under the supervision of Pier Luigi Verbo and Marco Virginillo
We would like to thank all the experts and representatives of stakeholders who provided
crucial inputs at all stages of the research especially as regards identifying the most
promising cases and review of the preliminary results of the analysis In this regard a
special thank you goes to Alexander Heichlinger Expert at the European Institute of Public
Administration (EIPA) and Alfonso Lara Montero Policy Director of the European Social
Network (ESN) who reviewed intermediate pieces of the research and provided valuable
comments and suggestions for improvement
Finally we are particularly grateful to colleagues from DG EMPL who encouraged us to
investigate this area of research and provided support and guidance
Note
This report is based on the results of the IESI Project conducted under the
Administrative arrangement between JRC and DG EMPL ( 33268-2014-01) for a
multi-year research on ICT enabled Social Innovation to support the Implementation of
the Social Investment Package For more information httpseceuropaeujrceniesi
Disclaimer The information and views set out in this publication are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission The Commission does
not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study Neither the Commission nor
any person acting on the Commissionrsquos behalf may be held responsible for the use which
may be made of the information contained therein
copy European Union JRC 2017
2
Table of contents
Executive summary 3
1 Introduction 8
11 Policy background 8
12 The IESI Research 8
13 This report 10
2 Methodology 11
21 Research design 11
22 Literature review 12
23 Case studies 12
3 Review of the state of the art 15
31 Social protection systems in Europe 15
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services 19
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision 27
4 Cases overview 33
41 Main characteristics 33
42 Areas of focus across the case studies 37
5 Results from cross-case analysis 40
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems 40
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success 47
53 Evidence of impact on service integration 50
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives 54
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed 61
6 Conclusions 64
61 Key results 64
62 Policy implications 66
63 Future research 68
References 70
List of abbreviations and definitions 83
List of tables 84
List of figures 85
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies 86
3
Executive summary
This report provides an overview of the results of the analysis of selected case studies on
how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting social investment can contribute to the
modernisation of social protection systems in the European Union The case studies have
been identified and analysed as part of the research project entitled ldquoICT-Enabled Social
Innovation to support the implementation of the Social Investment Packagerdquo (IESI)
conducted by the European Commissionacutes Joint Research Centre in collaboration with the
Directorate General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
Objectives
This report aims to explore (i) the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled
social innovations that have been implemented and the broader social protection system in
which they are embedded in and (ii) the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives which promote social investment to support the modernisation of social
protection systems in EU Member States
Building on the results of three rounds of systematic literature reviews made by Misuraca
et al 2017 the main contribution of this explorative attempt is to provide qualitative
evidence that goes beyond the already well-studied relationship between ICTs and generic
public service modernisation reforms as it specifically investigate and shed lights on social
protection systems which are under researched when it comes to the contribution made by
ICT-enabled social innovation Therefore the aim of the report is to provide empirical
support to help member States in their reform endeavours
Through the cross analysis of fourteen in-depth case studies drawn from different Member
States and which represents different welfare models the report identifies the potential
implications for policies at local national and EU level Together the case studies cover all
the various Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) although most of the
initiatives analysed involved more than one social service according to the peculiarities of
the services offered and their levels of integration The table below presents the list of the
selected case studies and related area of service provided
Initiative Country Social services addressed
A Book for a Roof Croatia Education and training - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Badalona Assistance Services Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Crossroads Bank for Social Security Belgium Social care - Social assistance ndash Employment - Civic engagement
Digitalisation of social security services
Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
Poland Employment - Employability
Little bird Germany Childcare
National Telecare Development Programme
Scotland UK Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Online Point of Single Contact Estonia
Civic engagement Social care Social assistance ndash Childcare - Education and training - Social housing ndash Employment - Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web France Employment - Employability
Reform of employee insurance implementation institution
Netherlands Employment ndash Employability - Social assistance
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Strategy for Digital Welfare Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
4
Methodology
Once completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds 50 promising cases out of the 300 initiatives identified by the IESI
mapping exercise have been selected The criteria used for the selection included
geographical coverage representativeness of the different welfare systems coverage of all
the relevant thematic areas (derived from a revisited typology of PSSGI)
representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders (public private and third
sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis Through the first step each initiative was analysed
according to two criteria (relevance and complexity) in order to capture its potential
systemic impact This allowed giving a numerical score to different sub-parameters for
each of the 50 initiatives Through the second step of the selection process the IESI
analytical framework has been applied While the ICT-enabled innovation potential was
used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo
cluster (incremental and sustained innovation) and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster
(disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of governance of service integration was
used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with the highest level of governance)
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis The figure below
shows the geographic coverage of the analysed case studies
In each case we analysed the main social innovation elements the potential for ICT-
enabled innovation the levels of governance and type of service integration the impact
evaluation carried out and the degree of sustainability and possible transferability
5
Results
The case studies provide useful insights into the factors that have been critical to an
initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social innovation They also show how
these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of the Social Investment
Package
With regard to the first SIPs objective ie modernizing social protection systems
spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable protection
many initiatives by building a collaborative innovation network between public agencies or
departments reshaped the governance model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach In particular the exploitation of ICTs generated new
public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the
traceability of information flows and the fight against fraud The contribution ICTs make to
the modernization of social protection system lies mainly in their ability to minimize the
administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
With regard to the second SIPs objective ie implementing active inclusion strategies
investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve their integration into society and the
labour market the combination of employment information management and ICT training
allows the production process of services to be redesigned This can improve integration
opportunities within society and also help to include disadvantaged people into the labour
market The integration of services enabled by the use of ICTs empowers people
especially the homeless older people and the more fragile by improving their skills and
ability to live independently at home or to find jobs It also helps to improve the quality of
life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their caregivers Moreover equal access to
social and health care services for all citizens across the boundaries of municipalities
directly increases the inclusiveness of social protection systems
With regard to the third SIPs objective ie investing in individuals throughout their lives
ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments
during their lives it has been recognised that skills and active inclusion strategies offering
psycho-social support can boost beneficiariesrsquo motivation and respond to their needs at
critical moments in their lives Moreover ICTs can often contribute to changing service
delivery models making them more beneficiary-centric They can also reduce the risk of
unsuitable or undue benefits by formulating innovative responses to peoples changing
needs They can also personalize services which is especially important in the field of
employment support services Here they can improve the match between job demand and
offer and also aggregate job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations
The case study analysis allowed us to spot some major social issues in which ICTs can
offer ndash and indeed are already offering ndashimportant support without structural or wider
reforms The analysis showed that ICTs can help to modernise social protection systems
mainly by contributing to the sustainability of welfare systems
Some of the cases analysed demonstrate that ICTs contribute to solving the structural
imbalance between emerging and growing social needs and the decreasing or limited
financial resources available In particular the use of ICTs can help social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected by
different health and social conditions and require multiple services technological
advances have made it possible to link information across programme areas and to
identify individuals with complex needs and hence target them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used to
having access to information and services through web and mobile devices new
digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with service
providers across a range of industries including the social services and more generally
the welfare area
6
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour market
participation of all members of the working-age population a new wave of welfare-to-
work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments trying to reduce
demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from finding sustained
employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and demand
Handle budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to widespread public
sector austerity measures in many developed economies these pressures mean that
service integration and optimisation are becoming increasingly attractive options for
governments looking for higher cost effectiveness in service delivery allocating higher
percentages of resources and incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated to
the most effective and efficient initiatives they must be scaled up or transferred to
other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics functionalities allow to
leverage the evidence collected and better allocate resources on the basis of the
specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information regarding the
policy interventions undertaken and its results this data can then be shared in order
to inform policy makers and support the decision making process to develop or adapt
future policies
Policy and research implications
The results of the cross-analysis of case studies allowed us to define a set of policy
implications that can help policy makers to drive social change
In order to reap all the benefits of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives some
contextual and complementary policy initiatives are needed This mainly points to the need
of addressing required administrative changes and financial support initiatives especially
in the perspective of a more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social
innovation
Most of the case studies confirmed that ICTs are a crucial but not sufficient condition for
ICT-enabled social innovation to fully realise its potential Other enabling factors must
come into play for instance
Workforce development the empowerment of workers and job seekers requires
investment in their skills and competences They must also be given new and flexible
ways of participating in the labour market Employers and public institutions must
invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation working groups They must also
envisage joint training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and
fill any skills gaps that may arise This requires the creation of new roles and a review
of existing jobs to adapt them to the changing environment and the evolving needs of
the workforce
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third sector
providers should be promoted and the development of innovative initiatives
facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for the integration and
scaling up of these practices into actual processes
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms seem to be efficient in
promoting coordinated interventions to address common and shared social problems
in an outcome-oriented approach Other financial schemes such as acutepersonal
budgetsacute produce effective incentives because they enable users and case managers
to freely purchase the desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they
foster the creation of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are
closer to the needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms could encourage
integration and collaboration among different service providers
7
Finally the introduction of ICTs should be combined with the re-engineering of
organizational structures and a cultural shift towards embracing social innovation In
particular these two further directions are related to the simplification of services
procedures through an open-government approach and the use of the European Structural
and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
With regard to the simplification of procedures the increase in information and knowledge
exchange and in openness and transparency provide new opportunities for public
administrations to offer user-friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs
and the administrative burden An open government approach can encourage this
transformation by opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration in the
design production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and decisions
enhance transparency accountability and trust in government
With respect to the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to further
finance ICT-based developments in the social sector it should be considered that National
and regional authorities are in charge of defining their strategies and operational
programmes for enhancing territorial development and social cohesion which form the
basis for delivering EU structural funds Local institutions can play a proactive role in both
the allocation of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-
financing requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another strengthening knowledge
exchange across the EU
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect future research directions
Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes has also
been recognised as a strategy in support of social policy innovation initiatives and it could
be interesting to explore this further since it could offer the policy maker new
organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business models effectively
contribute to social change
Therefore it is important to answer the question whether social policy innovation
strategies especially ICT-enabled ones can be embedded in policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other terms it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular can be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox At the same
time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies will not be the
panacea for all welfare state challenges rather one of the social protection layers of future
welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the modernisation of welfare
systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as supplementary
minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits schemes
Nevertheless and according to the results of this research social policy innovation
initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an important role represent an important
means of modernising social protection systems ICTs need to be used as part of a broader
strategy designed and led by the public sector which becomes an even more important
actor and will also take on the task of coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
8
1 Introduction
11 Policy background
The 2008 crisis and the growing inequalities which followed have highlighted the
limitations of the current European social and welfare model Policymakers have tackled
the economic and societal challenges by redistributing resources through the taxation
system and granting special benefits to those in need however at the same time they
acknowledge that the European Social Model needs to be modernised
Many experts have proposed new ideas and new solutions for the challenges faced by
European welfare systems This general rethinking of prevailing socio-economic views and
perspectives has led to the emergence of two interrelated quasi-concepts social
investment and social innovation In spite of their theoretical and conceptual limitations
these terms have proven to be powerful tools for shaping policy outcomes
This trend was enhanced at EU level by the adoption of the Social Investment Package
(SIP)1 in 2013 The EC Communication Towards Social Investment for Growth and
Cohesion2 calls for social services to be designed fairly in a thoughtful and personalized
manner so as to provide equal access to those entitled In addition the SIP
Communication urges EU Member States to prioritise social investment and the
modernisation of their welfare systems in order to address unemployment poverty and
social exclusion brought about by the economic crisis and also the challenges to the
sustainability of social welfare systems posed by an ageing population
The SIP focuses on social innovation (Jenson 2015) as a means of providing ways of
improving the efficiency and adequacy of social policies and their effectiveness in
addressing societal challenges It also facilitates life-long investment in human capital The
European Commission has already emphasized the importance of embedding social
innovation in policy-making processes and connecting innovation policy to priorities It has
paid particular attention to the appropriate use of EU funds to support the implementation
of successful policy innovation (EU 2013 Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) It is
recognised that the potential of social innovation is further increased by the growing range
of available innovative solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) However it seems that ICT-based solutions only materialize rapidly on the ground
when specific efforts are made to encourage their use in social innovation
12 The IESI Research
In this context the European Commissions DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
(DG EMPL) and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre joined forces to conduct
a research project entitled ICT-enabled Social Innovation in support to the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
The key goal of IESI is to support the implementation of the EU Social Investment Package
(SIP) by investigating how ICT-enabled Social Innovation can support social investment
policies3
1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council the European and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion See httpeceuropaeusocialmainjspcatId=1044
2 EC COM (2013) 83 httpeur-lexeuropaeulegal-contentENTXTuri=CELEX52013DC0083 3 For a more detailed presentation of the IESI conceptual and analytical framework including the definition of
ICT-enabled social innovation developed as part of this research and the concept of Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) see the previous Deliverables available of the IESI Projects website httpseceuropaeujrceniesi and the JRC Science and Policy Report (Misuraca et al 2015)
9
More specifically the IESI research project aims to
i provide a better understanding of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled
social innovation to implement the actions suggested in the SIP
ii contribute to building the evidence base needed for social policy innovation by
gathering knowledge analysing initiatives and raising awareness about successful
experiences implemented in EU Member States
iii develop a methodological framework of analysis of the impacts - from micro to
macro level - generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which promote
social investment
The research results are expected to enhance the understanding of how ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives contribute to better targeting benefits and services improving the
management provision and coordination of services designing high-quality and cost-
effective services which meet the needs of citizens and supporting access to and take-up
of social services for instance by enabling simpler procedures providing better and more
targeted information or allowing the development of one-stop-shops
With regard to the scope of the research the starting point of the analysis is to identify
the Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) ie the services that respond to
vital human needs fight discrimination and create equal opportunities4 More specifically
the focus of the research is the analysis of policy-relevant initiatives related to integrated
approaches to social services provision and hence the study of how they contribute to
achieving some of the priorities defined in the SIP objectives
The IESI three-year research project was designed according to three interrelated Work
Packages namely Systematic mapping (WP1) Methodological framework of analysis of
impacts (WP2) and Thematic analysiscase studies (WP3) as illustrated in Figure 1 below
Figure 1 Research Design
Source own elaboration
4 According to Misuraca et al 2015 PSSGI have been classified through the following typologies (1)
Childcare (2) Education and training (3) Social assistance (4) Social care (5) Social housing (6) Employability (7) Employment (8) Social inclusionparticipation (9) Civic engagement (10) Active and healthy ageing and long-term care
10
Considerable effort was dedicated during the research especially in the IESI Thematic
analysiscase studiesrdquo Work Package (WP3) to studying the role and impact that ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social investment may have on the
modernisation of the following aspects of the Member Statesrsquo social protection systems
(1) Social SecurityEmployment (2) Social Inclusion and Participation (3) Active and
Healthy Ageing
Data were collected on a number of relevant examples of initiatives (cases) across the EU
The aim was to analyse the services provided in each case by various stakeholders and
intermediaries from the public private and third sectors with a specific focus on their role
and relationships At the same time the research aimed to better understand the nature
and impact of ICT-enabled social innovation in support of social investment its drivers
barriers and determinants and the various diffusion paths that characterise each of the
above mentioned thematic areas The case study approach allowed us to gather important
insights from both the cross-case analysis and the thematic analysis
13 This report
This report presents the results of the analysis of relevant ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives identified across the EU It explores the relationships between different
typologies of implemented ICT-enabled social innovation and the social protection system
in which they are embedded It also assesses the potential impact of ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives promoting social investment on the modernisation of social protection
systems in EU Member States More precisely the analysis seeks to determine what the
main drivers and barriers for the modernisation of social protection systems are and what
specific impacts are generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social
investment
Thus the main research questions addressed by the case studies are
What role do ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives play in supporting social
investment policies in modernising social services
What enabling factors in social investments and social innovations contribute to
enhancing social protection policies especially in times of crisis And what are the
barriers
The analyses presented in this report support the evidence on the contribution of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives which promote social investment for the modernisation
of social protection systems to the implementation of the EU SIP Therefore the cases
studied here also provide a snapshot of the state of deployment of social investment
policies which aim to facilitate the implementation of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives to encourage the modernisation of social services and welfare system in Europe
This report is structured as follows
Chapter 1 introduces the background and rationale of the project the overall
objectives and outlines the structure of this report
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the general methodology followed for the
literature review selection of the case studies and cross-case analysis
Chapter 3 presents key findings from the review of the state of the art which
focuses on ICT-enabled social innovation in EU social protection systems and social
services delivery models
Chapter 4 presents an overview of the case studies structured along the main
relevant dimensions of the research
Chapter 5 presents the cross-cases analysis illustrated with examples from the
activities key results and challenges of the initiatives
Chapter 6 presents the key findings the conclusions of the study future research
challenges and policy implications
11
2 Methodology
21 Research design
The key goal of the analysis of case studies which formed part of the IESI research design
was to provide evidence of successful andor promising ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives implemented around Europe to support the modernisation of social protection
systems This enabled us to assess the extent of the contribution of ICT-enabled social
innovation to the implementation of the SIP
More specifically the case studies aimed to
Provide evidence of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled social innovation
to implement the actions suggested in the SIP in order to modernize their social
protection systems
Contribute to a better understanding of the impact of social policies by studying
promising initiatives The initiatives selected aimed to simplify processes and better
target benefits and services improve management design high-quality and cost-
effective services and identify effective channels of public value distribution
In order to achieve the above objectives five steps were undertaken
i An inception analysis was carried out in order to define the methodology that would
be used to conduct the research activities (ie a review of the state of the art and
the selection of the case studies for in-depth analysis) The inception analysis also
reviewed the data gathering tools to be used
ii A comprehensive review of the state of the art in modernising social protection
systems was completed The review comprised relevant literature policies
theoretical approaches and the level of service provision amongst the different EU
countries It also collected and documented promising initiatives across the EU
Specific emphasis was given to the role played by ICTs as well as its barriers and
enablers
iii We tried to understand the role played by ICTs in these social innovations and the
provision of these services as both enablers and game-changers (Misuraca et al
2015) This phase aimed to identify relevant examples of the application of ICT-
enabled social innovation to support the modernisation of social protection systems
in the EU Basic data and documentation were gathered on 50 potential examples
representing the 5 types of welfare systems and illustrating the 10 PSSGI areas
included in the SIP
For each of the 50 examples identified a short case description providing the
context objectives activities main results and impacts was included In addition a
typology of ICT-enabled social innovation services and impacts was developed
Based on the knowledge gathered we established some criteria for the selection of
case studies
iv Based on the results of the previous steps the most promising cases among the 50
were selected for further in-depth analysis
v We analysed both the data obtained through desk research and the qualitative data
collected through in-depth interviews with representatives of the organizations
involved in the selected cases including beneficiaries and other relevant
stakeholders In each case study we investigated how ICT-enabled social
innovation is being or has been implemented We looked at what results have
been achieved in terms of SIP objectives return on investments and impact areas
In addition a cross-case analysis was also carried out which included discussion of
the potential implications for policies at local national and EU level and with
specific regard to the SIP objectives
12
22 Literature review
A dedicated literature review was deemed necessary to help us select initiatives that would
provide relevant insights into achieving the IESI objectives described earlier ie
a) explore the relationships between different typologies of implemented ICT-enabled
social innovation and the social protection system in which they are embedded and
b) assess the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which
promote social investment on the modernisation of social protection systems in EU
Member States
The literature review investigated the state of the art in the modernisation of social
protection systems in Europe in order to identify the main elements that characterise the
landscape in which ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives had been implemented This
included a review of relevant scientific literature policies theoretical approaches and the
level and types of service provision in EU countries and of grey literature such as policy
documents and reports by practitioners administrative sources and official statistical
reports
We considered the main features of the socio-economic context such as the relationships
between social innovation and social protection systems the relationships between social
protection systems and welfare systems and the role of services integration and social
protection system
23 Case studies
231 Selection of initiatives
Having completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds we then selected 50 promising cases These were chosen from the
initiatives identified by the IESI mapping exercise and additional ad-hoc searches
The criteria used for the selection included geographical coverage representativeness of
the different welfare systems coverage of all the relevant thematic areas (derived from a
revisited typology of PSSGI) representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders
(public private and third sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis
Step 1 Multi-criteria analysis
Taking the data collected on the 50 initiatives as input we used a ranking model based on
the multi-criteria methodology shown in Figure 2 below Each initiative was in fact
analysed according to the two criteria of relevance and complexity in order to capture its
potential systemic impact This allowed us to give a numerical score to different sub-
parameters for each of the 50 initiatives identified
Step 2 Applying the IESI analytical framework
As shown in Figure 3 the IESI analytical framework from the IESI Knowledge Map
(Misuraca et al 2015) was then used to further assess the initiatives While the ICT-
enabled innovation potential was used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives
belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo cluster (incremental and sustained innovation)
and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster (disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of
governance of service integration was used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with
the highest level of governance)
13
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology
Source own elaboration
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework
Source own elaboration
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis
232 Analysis of case studies
The analysis of the selected case studies followed three main methodological steps (i)
desk research (ii) interviews and (iii) case development and analysis The desk research
focused on technical documents publications and reports produced by policy makers
researchers and academics and also surveys undertaken by consultants and international
experts The aim was to obtain specific and reliable data about the context and the impact
of each of the initiatives under analysis and to identify and select relevant key informants
RELEVANCE
COMPLEXITY
Dimension of initiative
Impact strength of initiative
Level of reference of the
initiative
Level of effectiveness
Degree of integration
across multiple social services
Level of stakeholders partecipation
Level of integration of the
initiative
LocalRegional - 1National - 2
Transnational - 3
Productivity improvement- 1Operational change - 2New delivery system - 3
Seldom project references- 1Qualitative project references - 2
Good project references - 3
1 ndash 2 SIP Objectives impacted- 13 ndash 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 2gt 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 3
1 ndash 2 Social Services impacted- 13 ndash 4 Social Services impacted - 2gt 4 Social Services impacted - 3
Public or Private or Third Sector- 1
PublicPrivate or PublicThird Sector or PrivateThird Sector - 2
PublicPrivateThird Sector - 3
Isolated- 1Intra governmental or Inter-governmental 2
Inter-sectorial or Pervasive - 3
SCORE ATTRIBUTIONRULES IN THE
PROCESS MODEL
14
Each interview was based on the gaps identified by the desk research and tailored to the
type of stakeholder to be addressed in order to improve the quality of the data already
gathered Besides providing input for the case reports and the case study analysis this
exercise also contributed to improving the IESI Knowledge Map and the related data
validation process (see IESI analytical framework)5
The subsequent cross-case analysis built on two different and relevant components On
the one hand particular attention was paid to descriptive components such as the type of
initiatives area of social services covered location scale of implementation operational
funding target users stakeholders involved and partnerships built around the initiatives
On the other hand a significant effort was dedicated to identifying the factors that
generate impact social innovation elements ICT-enabled innovation potential levels of
governance integration and type of service integration The analytical framework adopted
for the cross-case analysis takes into consideration the coverage of different elements
which are important for clustering the initiatives as illustrated in Figure 4
Figure 4 Analytical framework
Source own elaboration
The methodology followed to select the cases took into account the level of governance of
service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential they presented The cross-
case analysis focused on the remaining two dimensions of the IESI analytical framework
ie types of service integration6 and elements of social innovation7 (see Misuraca et al
2015)
5 Clearly the sample of initiatives gathered at this stage of the research was not statistically representative of
the universe of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives for the modernisation of social protection systems not only because of its limited size but also because the overall population is unknown Nevertheless it represents a substantial effort towards providing a better and more structured understanding of the field the
critical success factors of policies in that field common patterns and emerging trends 6 According to Misuraca et al 2015 building on Kodner 2009 the integration might be at funding
administrative organisational or delivery system levels More precisely funding integration might be due to the use of funds coming from different sources (eg different public bodies PPPs etc) Administrative integration may be achieved through consolidationdecentralisation of responsibilities andor functions inter-sectorial planning needs assessment or joint purchasing Organisational integration might happen through co-location of services interagency planning contracting strategic alliances or networks building Finally delivery system integration can be achieved through case management informative cooperation multi-disciplinary teamwork etc
7 According to Misuraca et al (2015) building on Bekkers et al (2013) social innovation elements may be described conceptually as (i) needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production (ii) an open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks (iii) a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders and (iv) public value allocation andor re-allocation The IESI research considers and describes where ICTs play a crucial role in the generation of public value (Public value creation) andor in the public value distribution (Public sector social services provision)
15
3 Review of the state of the art
31 Social protection systems in Europe
311 Social investment trends
Since the 80s expenditure has increased mainly on old age insurance and pensions
(Nikolai 2012) However expenditure on education and training family and child benefits
health prevention or active labour market policy has not changed significantly despite
efforts by the European Commission and the advantages associated with the adoption of a
social investment perspective As a result the portfolio of services offered in EU Member
States is inadequate to address current societal challenges In fact the financial gap
between what is needed to address societal challenges and actual social investment in
public services delivery at existing employment levels was estimated by Accenture and
Oxford Economics to reach around $1600 billion in 2025 across 10 countries with a gap of
30 billion for Italy (13 of GDP in 2025) and 170 billion for the UK (54 of GDP)
(2013)
The ESPN Thematic Reports on Social Investment per country 20158 provides insights into
social investment and results at national level For instance Nordic and Anglo-Saxon
countries especially Finland and Ireland present the clearest cases of one-stop-shop
initiatives even if these are still under development The integration of social services
provision in these welfare models is at its most advanced - especially in Sweden and in the
United Kingdom Of the continental countries the Netherlands is the most advanced in
that field together with France Belgium and Luxembourg However the shortage of
resources following the economic crisis is expected to negatively affect the performance of
social service delivery processes in these countries in the mid- to long-term In contrast
harmonization is lacking in some continental countries like Austria and Germany and also
in Denmark (a Nordic Country)
This lack of coordination also exists in most Mediterranean and Central-Eastern European
countries In addition the situation in the latter is expected to worsen because of the
shortage of economic and financial resources straining public administrations and in turn
their capability to afford quality social services delivery Underperforming social services
are common in Mediterranean countries (eg Cyprus Malta and Greece) and in the
Central-Eastern European countries (eg Poland Romania Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic) Croatia and Slovenia are exceptions and represent positive examples of
reforming countries in Central-Eastern Europe Indeed they are in the process of
developing one-stop-shop models to deliver social services to their citizens
In this context the increasing demand for social protection has hindered full
implementation of social investment policies even in those countries where social reforms
started earlier and were implemented through structural changes For instance Sweden
and Denmark have shifted to less costly forms of labour market activation where
counselling replaces training and unemployment benefits have been reduced drastically
According to De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) who examined EU Member States employment
policies in the 1990s and 2000s there have not really been clear and massive shifts from
passive to active expenditure on labour market policies in the EU-15 but expenditure for
both is depleting while participants in active labour market programmes are increasing in
order to be able to receive benefits
Even more alarming is the decrease in public expenditure on families and children
considering the positive correlation between higher rates of women in employment and
poverty reduction and between the availability of early child education and care services
and future career development prospects for children
As for education findings from the OECD Social Report (2014) show that consolidation
efforts halted the long-term trend of rising public spending on education it declined
8 Some of the more relevant findings are analytically reported in the Table 1
16
relative to GDP between 2009 and 2010 in more than half of OECD countries with cuts
especially sharp in Hungary Iceland Italy Sweden Switzerland and the United States
The social investment perspective emerged as a response to changing conditions across
Europe including de-industrialization and increased international competition an ageing
population changing gender roles in labour markets and households and the introduction
and diffusion of new technologies All these factors ndashparticularly the demographic trends -
call for more and better welfare services However the economic and financial crisis has
led EU Member States to contain or even reduce social spending and look for efficiency
gains in social services Thus they hope to do more with fewer resources
312 Welfare systems reforms in Europe
According to recent publications (eg Eriksson Einarsson and Wijkstroumlm 2014
Hemerijck Draumlbing Vis Nelson and Soentken 2013 Morel Palier and Palme 2012)
welfare state reforms have been implemented in all European countries over the past
three decades Initially these reforms were about social and economic policy adjustment
and mainly focused on economic competitiveness Then once the European economic and
monetary union was established EU Member States became more willing to adapt
measures of cost containment together with more active labour market policies such as
subsidized employment and training
From 2000 new emerging societal challenges related to new work values family gender
relations and social integration reinforced by problems such as population ageing de-
industrialization and changing family roles (see eg Esping-Andersen et al 2002) pushed
policy makers to promote more active welfare models Most EU countries initiated
substantial welfare reforms in order to maximize employment restrain early retirement
and reconcile work and family life
According to Hemerijck (2013) Hemerijck et al (2013) and Nelson (2012) there seems
to be no radical changes in welfare reform patterns in Europe Even when changes are
substantial policies do not depart from existing practices (Esping-Andersen et al 2002)
Most reforms represent cumulative policy adjustments across adjacent policy areas Social
investment is another key means of bringing down unemployment by channelling (less
productive) workers into social security programmes and maximizing the rate of
employment
Both the Continental and the Nordic models moved from labour-shedding policies to
employment maximising strategies In addition in the Continental welfare model minimum
income provision was strengthened and there was a shift from male-breadwinner family
support towards family services based on female employment and work-care balance
Though there is a variety of regime-specific measures (Palier 2010 Esping-Andersen
2010) there is also a convergence between social policy and employment objectives in
line with the policy initiatives promoted by the EU agenda to encourage the transformation
of the welfare state (Bouget 2005) This process signals a transition from a
passivecorrective welfare state to a proactive investment strategy more focused on
prevention activation and social servicing (Hay 2004)
Finally in terms of old social policies such as pensions more Member States are making
occupational and private pensions compulsory and have developed systems linking
benefits with actual contributions
To summarise an analysis of the status of implementation of welfare policy reforms in
Europe is presented in Table 1 below It is structured according to the following
dimensions proposed by Hemerijck (2013b) (1) macroeconomic policy (including fiscal
exchange rate and monetary policy) (2) wage bargaining and industrial relations (3)
labour market policy (4) labour market regulation (5) social insurance and social
assistance (6) old age pensions (7) family and social servicing (8) welfare financing
and (9) governance and social policy administration
17
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Macroeconomic policy (including fiscal budget and monetary policy)
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size
Wage bargaining and industrial relations
Collective bargaining agreement not binding introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement
Collective bargaining agreement especially in Italy
Collective bargaining agreement only in a minority of countries introduction of minimum wage
Labour market policy
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning Flexicurity model which is the integration of generous unemployment benefits active labour market policies and flexible labour markets with the aim of improving workforces quality while reducing unemployment
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning some forms of flexicurity
Activation labour policy in Spain
Social insurance and social assistance
Tax cut for low wages support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed older regular workforce and support for the disabled
Support for low wages workers support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Support for disabled long-term unemployed marginal workers as well as short- term unemployed
Limited support for marginal workers mostly for insiders
Support to long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Old age pensions
Increase in retirement age expansion of support to groups having lower income or irregular employment
Flexible retirement age increase in pension age move from a defined benefit to a defined- pay-as-you-go contribution system
Increase in retirement age more flexibility in retirement age partial privatisation of pensions with complementary occupational or private plans
Increase in retirement age linking of the pension formula to contributions in a quasi-actuarial fashion introducing a public notional defined contribution system
Reforms of pension systems through privatization and individualization of savings Before the reforms pension systems were defined as ldquopay as you gordquo ( transfers from public firms to the state budget with scarce contributions from workers
18
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Family and social servicing
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave
Increase of maternity and paternity leave increased access to childcare
Welfare financing
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
In Czech Republic there was a shift from tax financing in order to increase payroll financing In this way social contribution was linked to benefit
Governance and social policy administration
In Ireland from 1994 onwards the state became less involved in the implementation of social policies as for example public employment services were moved to non-statutory agencies
In Denmark the second Rasmussen government reformed the Public Employment Services streamlining the responsibilities for all labour market policies both for insured and uninsured jobseekers under a single National Labour Market Authority
In Germany the Hartz commission recommended the restructuring of the social insurance system and in particular of the German Public Employment Service governance
Source IESI internal elaboration
19
The above table shows that the Nordic and Continental countries implemented structural
reforms earlier than the other countries and in more depth They also pursued synergies
with social investments policies
For example these countries (particularly the Nordic ones) have implemented labour
market policies combined with training life-long learning and flexicurity policies These
policies aim to mitigate inequalities by leveraging human capital and thus the quality of
the workforce while at the same time reducing unemployment
The Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted similar employment policies although these do
not include any form of flexicurity
By contrast the Mediterranean countries ndash with the exception of Spain ndash and the Eastern
European countries did not adopt any significant structural measures to support the
workforce until the crisis In recent years the Mediterranean countries have started to
adopt some reforms of the labour market and other structural reforms addressing their
social protection systems However these are not considered in the above table because
they have not affected society yet
These differences in labour market policies are also apparent in other structural policies
such as old age pension policies Nordic and Continental countries have introduced
flexible retirement age policies and increased the pension age as have other countries
Policy measures to support family and work life balance were adopted to some extent by
most EU Member States at least in relation to the ldquoincrease of maternity and paternity
leaverdquo However only in the Nordic Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare models have
these measures been associated with other measures which support a better balance
between work and life and greater access to childcare and female employment In these
countries the benefits of structural changes in their welfare systems have also been
translated into reduced taxation and rationalized public administration services In most
cases this was accomplished by integrating various social services and creating a single
point of access
The structural reforms allowed Nordic Central European and Anglo-Saxon countries to
also adopt more active social insurance and social assistance policy reforms For
example they were able to introduce tax cuts for low wages workers and to offer more
support to the long-term and short-term unemployed and regular older workers as well
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services
321 Social services delivery
A social services system is generally defined as the (combination) of interventions
programmes and benefits that are provided by governmental civil society and
community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically
disadvantaged individuals and families In this respect social services are mainly
provided by public sector organisations and different levels of government using
traditional public service delivery mechanisms However social services can also be
contracted to private organizations through concessions transfers outsourcing or other
public-private partnerships systems such as framework contracts and service-levels
agreements Contracting out is becoming more and more common citizens and
organizations from the private or the third sector are complementing the public sector in
providing services or are acting as partners in designing and implementing different
service delivery phases Often the design and provision of new innovative services can be
initiated by private or third sector organisations and subsequently incorporated into the
public service delivery system
The Commission Communication on social services of general interest (April 2006 - COM
(2006) 177 final) defines two main categories of social services
20
i ldquoStatutory and complementary social security schemes organised in various ways
(mutual or occupational organisations) covering the main risks of life such as
those linked to health ageing occupational accidents unemployment retirement
and disabilityrdquo
ii ldquoOther essential services provided directly to the person These services that play
a preventive and social cohesion role consist of customised assistance to facilitate
social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights They comprise first of all
assistance for people faced by personal challenges or crises (such as debt
unemployment drug addiction or family breakdown) Secondly they include
activities to ensure that the persons concerned are able to completely reintegrate
into society (rehabilitation language training for immigrants) and in particular
the labour market (occupational training and reintegration) These services
complement and support the role of families in caring for the youngest and oldest
members of society in particular Thirdly these services include activities to
integrate persons with long-term health or disability problems Fourthly they also
include social housing providing housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially
less advantaged groupsrdquo
By the same token according to EC (2010) social services improve citizensrsquo quality of life
by helping to tackle issues such as market externalities information asymmetries
distributional concerns agency problems natural monopolies public goods and services
(Cichon et al 2004 Greve 2002) Welfare states have several instruments they can use
to remedy these negative externalities eg governments are able to tax public ldquobadsrdquo
(Albrecht 2006)
The social services delivery systems carry out the following series of functions
Provision of care and support which is obviously the key function of Personal
Social Services (PSS - which include PSSGI) systems Each country decides which
sectors provide the services and how and who receives them under what
circumstances
Community development and care coordination because all systems have to
figure out and coordinate efficiently additional non-state resources due to the fact
that limited funding is available for services
Social control consisting of the enforcement of societal rules and procedures and
also societal norms For example mentally ill individuals and young offenders can
act in ways that are not in their own interests and can also represent a threat to
other citizens
Protection especially of children older people and the disabled who can be
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation
Regulation countries have adopted a decentralized mixed economy in which the
central state plays a crucial role in regulating PSS by setting standards and
monitoring developments
Social integration of excluded groups into mainstream society
The stakeholders responsible for the above functions belong to three main sectors
The public sector including local regional and central government Personal social
services can be provided by individual departments or as part of larger
departments such as social security health and education
The for-profit sector which is growing in size and relevance in some EU countries
(eg United Kingdom) The organizations operating in this sector are sometimes
difficult to distinguish from the ones operating in the voluntary non-profit sector
The only criterion that may differentiate these two sectors is an annual budget
surplus in the former
21
The voluntary non-profit sectors (consisting in self-help groups like the Alcoholics
Anonymous or NGOs) These use both paid and unpaid resources and volunteers
working inside or outside formal schemes
The evidence collected in this research suggests the following common trends in policy
reforms
Promotion of targeted programmes for the social and economic integration of
socially unprotected families by distributing social protection funds and
operational activities that target not only households but also specific individuals
according to their social and economic needs
Reconsideration of social protection systems in terms of not only existing
operations problems and service provision but also the needs of future
generations in order to ensure their sustainability
Introduction of roadmaps consisting of specific steps to improve social protection
It is worth noting that the use of ICTs boosts the operational transformation in social
services delivery processes in the above mentioned trends in policy reforms For
example it allows
An open-government approach and also the re-use of data through electronic
channels and across the entire public sector
The use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) in the 2014-2020
period to further finance ICT-based developments in healthcare with a view to
ensuring better connectivity between and among national healthcare systems
The integration of systems across departments and public authorities This allows
data and processes to be automatically shared so that support can be tailored by
predictive analytics based on evidence of what works for different customer
groups
The collection of information on policy interventions in order to build evidence to
inform future policy design
Online access to all transactions information and services
322 Social services integration
To cope with the societal challenges and demands for social services mentioned in the
previous subsection new approaches to service delivery are necessary The literature
review carried out shows that service delivery should have the following characteristics
Integrated services human resources management and social service delivery
model design need to be integrated in order to create more effective solutions for
people at risk and for disadvantaged groups Governments are exploring the
potential of integrating their various systems and service models to provide a
single point of customer service This will reduce administrative costs and increase
efficiency by removing duplication Moreover eliminating barriers to access and
offering a more user-centric approach would improve service efficiency and user
satisfaction
Shared services combining back-office processes reduces costs and increases the
effectiveness of service delivery Moreover sharing administrative systems and
processes allows governments to better leverage their technology and service
provider budgets Some governments have taken this approach further making
use of cloud technology to provide infrastructure and systems as a service
offering greater agility and responsiveness to their human resources and social
service agencies
22
Public Private Partnership (PPP) models PPPs can help achieve cost-efficiencies
By contracting services out to the private sector governments might be able to
reduce overheads focus on core service components and achieve greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment Moreover PPPs can achieve
greater efficiency as private organizations seek to reduce costs while maintaining
high levels of service delivery However to maximize the value of PPPs
governments must mitigate the risks associated with third-sector relationships
They must also structure reimbursement in a way that incentivizes efficiency and
positive outcomes while preventing fraud and abuse
Greater accountability governments are also trying to increase the impact of their
services by strengthening financial and accounting systems Thus they not only
achieve greater effectiveness but also enhance their ability to detect fraud and
address system inefficiencies Furthermore governments are also experimenting
with dynamic pay-for-performance models in existing markets through PPPs This
kind of model embeds the principles of accountability into service provision and
creates programmes that are focused on outcomes rather than processes
According to KPMG (2013) ldquoservices integrationrdquo denotes efforts to increase the
coordination of operations within human resources and social services systems Its
overall aim is to improve efficiency and client outcomes As shown in Figure 5 below
the integration process can be depicted as a continuum from no integration to full
integration
Figure 5 The integration continuum
Source KPMG 2013
The provision of integrated services offers the following advantages from an operational
perspective
increased capacity and value for money by reducing duplication in administrative
processes
improved strategic planning and system integrity as the sharing of information
between different agencies and programme areas improves the understanding of
service usage patterns and client needs
bull A highly fragmented
system with service
delivery organizations
working in isolation
No Integration
bull Informal cooperation between practitioners
bull Sharing of facilities and overheads but no integration of service
Partial Integration
bull Some formal sharing of resources and joint planning
bull I n f o r m a t i o n o n m u l t i p l e s e r v i c e s availability
Limited integration
bull Integrated staffing
funding technology
applications service
delivery tools and case management
Full integration
23
reduced demand for emergency services since smoother and more coordinated
assistance can help stabilise the conditions of clients thus reducing the need for
more costly crisis interventions
Moreover integrated services offer clients the following advantages
simplified access through one-stop-shops and integrated online portals
holistic and customized support through better understanding of their needs
faster response times as streamlined back-office systems improve processing
times
improved outcomes and user experience as better sequencing and coordination of
interventions can improve client outcomes over time
The key enablers of services integration can be represented and explained as shown in
Figure 6 below
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation
Source KPMG 2013
It is useful to briefly examine the three main drivers of service integration
Demographic transition more and more individuals are affected by a range of
different conditions and use multiple services Advances in technology have made
it possible to link information across programme areas and identify individuals
with complex needs In addition population ageing is prompting the redesign of
the provision of care for the aged because of sustainability challenges for care
providers changing family dynamics and structures high levels of household
debt and declining private pension coverage These factors mean that more older
people will rely on care provided by government rather than relatives or personal
savings
KEY ENABLERS
bull Electronic client records data analytics and interoperable technologies have enabled the identification of at-risk clients and a better understanding of service usage Coordinated case management and the more targeted use of resources have been possible as a result
bull Advances in data encryption and the proliferation of internet usage and mobile computing devices have allowed more clients to self-serve
through integrated web portals secure online accounts and mobile device applications
bull Data sharing legislation has facilitated
seamless referrals and integrated case
management between government
agencies and providers from the private
and not-for-profit sectors
bull Governments have sought to ensure pract it ioner compliance through
enshrining integration initiatives in
legislation
Legislation
bull Combined working groups staff co-
l o c a t i o n a n d j o i n t t r a i n i n g
arrangements are enabling knowledge
transfer and collaboration between
agencies levels of government andor
different sectors bull Transformed training recruitment
communi cation and performance
management practices are addressing
skills gaps and supporting new ways of
working New roles are being created and existing jobs redesigned
Workforce development
Technology
bull Payment-for-performance funding models (where providers are rewarded for improving client outcomes) are promoting the use of coordinated interventions to address social problems
bull The introduction of personal budgets is enabling service users and case managers to bypass organizational silos and purchase a mix of
support services from providers In doing so greater choice and autonomy is driving the creation of a social services marketplace
bull Pooled ldquoplace-basedrdquo budgets are producing clear incentives to coordinate services around local needs bull Joint commissioning enables agencies to overcome barriers to sharing resources and coordinating investment
bull Contracting and tendering reforms are being used to incentivize collaboration among third party service providers
Funding and contracting
24
Client expectations digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can
interface with service providers across a range of industries They now expect to
be able to access information and services through the web and mobile devices
Human and social services leaders are responding to these cultural changes and
new usage patterns by developing a range of new digital platforms including
integrated websites online accounts and smartphone and tablet apps
Economic pressures the global economic downturn has caused a rise in
unemployment (particularly long-term) in many countries Governments have
started to bring together services to address the demand and supply-side barriers
that prevent individuals from finding sustained employment However at the
same time high levels of sovereign debt have led to public sector austerity
measures in many developed economies This makes the issue of more cost-
effective service delivery one of the top priorities in policy agendas
As regards integrated services provision the following trends need to be considered
Client pathways aim to provide a more targeted and personalized approach that
enables clients with complex needs to receive coordinated services and support In
addition they enable most clients to serve themselves through streamlined access
points This trend also applies to government interventions which target the way
clients engage with services Governments are building capacity in big data analytics
as the growing complexity of datasets makes client patterns difficult to identify
without approaches of this kind
Focus on outcomes service providers are increasingly expected to deliver
demonstrable improvements in client outcomes Governments are increasingly
investing in building an evidence base for services integration They are developing
funding regimes linked to measurable outcomes and coordinating upstream
interventions that focus on prevention Service delivery providers are testing a range
of techniques and tools which encourage case workers and clients to focus on
achieving a set of agreed outcomes
bull Online access secure online accounts that allow users to navigate and access
programmes have become the norm in many jurisdictions
Inter-governmental integration there is growing recognition that greater
coordination between different levels of government is essential to improve system
integrity It reduces both duplication and gaps in service provision and enables
comprehensive responses to clientsrsquo complex needs Examples of government actions
in this respect include
Joint commissioning through joint-commissioning governments at different
levels find ways to combine resources align incentives and optimize system level
outcomes
Interoperability new frameworks tools and technologies are being developed
to enable systems to interact and exchange information across different levels of
government
bull Inter-sectorial integration governments are increasingly seeking opportunities to
build partnerships with service providers in the private and not-for-profit sectors
because of the significant role they play in delivering publicly-funded services The
current service delivery sector is highly fragmented and uncoordinated Therefore
individuals and families in need of support must navigate a confusing array of
providers and services In an attempt to solve this issue governments are taking the
following actions
o Network integration governments bring together community agencies in
formal networks to offer clients seamless support as they move through family
support services
25
o Resource sharing many governments make information available through
open data portals others have set up common client databases and removed
barriers that have previously have prevented the sharing of client information
across sectors finally some governments are engaged in staff co-location
o Funding and contracting governments have streamlined contracting
processes by standardizing terms and consolidating contracts They also use
funding to incentivize community sector consolidation collaboration and
social enterprise and to produce joint investment strategies
o Location-based integration there is growing support for the notion that
complex social problems are best addressed through coordinated local-level
interventions Governments have begun to undertake location-based planning
which has led to the restructuring of human resources and social services
departments along geographical rather than programme lines This gives them
a better understanding of local needs and enables them to react more
effectively to local needs
323 The one-stop-shop model
A typical example of services integration is the ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo model Following Askim
et al (2011) a ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo can be defined as an organizational model in which
service users are provided with a single entry point into the welfare system This model
is used to improve coordination in welfare services provision and takes various forms
such as fully integrated and physically co-located services virtual information portals
frontlines of complex single agencies or umbrella structures for several agencies
The participant structure of ldquoone stop shopsrdquo may be thought of as a variable In some
cases this structure can be quite simple for instance when a single agency with a wide
task portfolio implements a ldquoone stop shoprdquo for its customers In other cases the
structure is more complex For example the ldquoone stop shoprdquo may operate on top of
partner organizations and aim to maximize the convenience to the clients of all partners
through service integration operating as an intergovernmental partnership In this case
partner organisations remain separate but parts of their services are integrated
Coordination in ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo usually occurs when policy best meets citizensrsquo needs
ldquoOne-stop shopsrdquo represent a mechanism for increasing accessibility enhancing bottom-
up accountability achieving greater efficiency and reducing transaction costs and
duplications from the perspective of citizens providers and governments Kubicek and
Hagen (2001) distinguish between ldquofirst stop shopsrdquo ldquoconvenience storesrdquo and true ldquoone-
stop shopsrdquo The ldquofirst stop shoprdquo merely points citizens to relevant services In this case
clients have to take at least one more step which implies substantial pro-active
involvement on their part The ldquoconvenience storerdquo model is when several transactional
services are located in a single office or on one website In this case citizens are also
required to take further steps themselves The final type the lsquodepartment storersquo or true
one stop shop integrates specific client groups andor focuses services around specific
life events or administrative matters affecting citizens
The key dimensions defining ldquoone stop shopsrdquo with associated values are presented in
Table 2 Although the values presented are binary each variable can be thought as a
continuum with ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo located in the continuum between these two values
The first dimension is the tasks portfolio which represents the range of services
delivered The breadth of the task portfolio (narrow vs broad) corresponds to the range
of policy areas covered As an example some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo only deal with
unemployment while others offer services in other areas such as pensions welfare
benefits and social services The depth (shallow vs deep) refers to work processes
some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo provide only partial product closure (ie information or
26
signposting only) while others provide complete product closure (ie information
advice assistance to the application processes and case closure)
We also differentiate ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo according to how autonomous they are Those
with low autonomy where participation is compulsory have little discretion in terms of
budget management and organization Those with high autonomy where participation
is voluntary have a high degree of discretion in terms of budget management and
organization
They can also be distinguished in terms of participant structure Simple structures
include only a few partners and a single public level of government and complex
structures involve several agencies and levels of government as well as a mix of public
and private actors
Proximity to citizens is another factor services can be distant (eg regionally-based
service) or close (eg locally-based neighbourhood services virtually accessible in
citizensrsquo own homes)
Finally if we look at the instruments (tools or mechanisms) used to facilitate joint
working we can distinguish between low integration when the services are located
together but managed separately and high integration with joint management budget
and recruitment
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops
Variable Values and Examples
Tasks portfolio
Narrow Broad
Few policy areas eg employment only
More policy areas eg pensions welfare benefits social services
Shallow Deep
Information signposting only (only partial product closure)
Information + advice + assistance with applications case closure on the spot (complete product closure)
Participant structure
Simple Complex
Few agencies Multiple agencies
One municipality Several municipalities
One level of government Several levels of government
Public sector only Mix of public private NGOs
Autonomy Low High
Compulsory participation in one stop shop
Voluntary participation in one stop shop
Little discretion in terms of budget management
organization
High discretion in terms of budget management organization
Proximity to citizen
Distant Close
Regionally based service Locally based neighbourhood service virtual service accessible in own home
Instruments Low integration High integration
Co-located services but separately managed
Joint management joint budgets joint recruitment personal shopper
Source Askim et al 2011
27
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision
331 ICTs supporting the transformation of social service delivery
In general terms the use of ICTs has an impact on the transformation of social service
delivery as it facilitates targeting by identifying beneficiaries more effectively It also
improves payment mechanisms allowing savings on operational costs (time and human
resources) and on benefits provided (avoiding double allowances) Their use also makes
interventions more effective (thanks to greater accuracy) and encourages greater trust in
government through better user experience
ICTs can be used as a vehicle to increase accountability and to transform and extend the
reach of service delivery to the underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient
manner In fact ICTs are able to increase accessibility inclusivity and flexibility in
service delivery allowing more citizens to interact with government with the flexibility of
choice offered by multiple delivery channels and in more convenient timeframes
Thus governments can transform the way services are delivered by using ICTs rather
than simply cutting back on social services in the face of budget deficits Following Booz
et al (2005) we describe four main waves of ICT adoption by governments in Figure 7
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments
Source Booz et al (2005)
The first wave focused on improving access and connectivity and was largely concerned
with the development of infrastructure The second wave provided add-ons to existing
services through online provision The third wave led by efficiency agendas focused on
the automation of existing processes Governments have re-engineered their business
processes and implemented faster ones enabled by ICTs Thus ICTs have played an
important role in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of government services
even though more integrated and citizen-centric service delivery still requires further
transformation of business processes to adopt and respond to new technologies This will
be achieved in the fourth wave in which the traditional channels for running the back-
office of government become ICT-enabled and seamlessly integrated In this stage
governments will shift from re-engineering existing processes to envisioning completely
new ways of implementing service delivery
28
The framework proposed by Booz et al in 2005 is still valid from a conceptual
standpoint However it is clear that more recent developments in ICT adoption in
government and more specifically in social services delivery processes (which are highly
knowledge intensive and where ICTs can therefore play an important role) need to be
considered This is especially the case in what could be considered as a fifth wave which
would include the adoption of new technological architectures These will enable the use
of interception techniques management and analysis of structured and non-structured
data (Big Data Analytics) and the production and use of public data in a linked format
(BOLD ndash Big Open Linked data) The latter will intersect with single users personalised
approaches exploiting multi-device and multi-channel logics (eg web social mobile)
This is will make it easier to use ICTs as the main means of developing different
pathways for the management of social services They will allow the application of an
end-user centric approach and the development of new services at the point of need
They will also leverage new horizontal forms of cooperation based on social innovation
principles
Therefore in line with the overall literature review and recent trends not yet fully
considered by most scholars in the field the transformation of social service delivery can
be enabled by ICTs along the following dimensions
Degree of integration across multiple social services This is an important
aspect of the contribution made by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to the
modernisation of social protection systems in light of current trends It represents
the capability of social innovation initiatives to achieve the aim of social
investment policies namely delivering social services which increase institutional
complementarities and ensure the integration of policy measures (EC 2015)
Degree of stakeholder participation in the social service delivery model
This is another important aspect of the impact of ICT-enabled social innovation It
represents the capability of initiatives to develop a collaborative service delivery
model (across public private and non-governmental operators) ICT-enabled
social innovation initiatives are able to integrate multi-stakeholder perspectives in
the co-design and co-creation of innovative solutions of social services delivery
processes (Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) ICTs can be the engine for new
forms of horizontal ndash and to some extent circular ndash subsidiarity and for entirely
new and disruptive innovation in the social and human services sector Thus they
support the emergence of new public private and mixed (hybrids) markets and
new value propositions at the crossroads between market and social protection
systems
Key transformation dimensions enabled by different combinations of ICTs may include
More accessible data Here ICTs could support
o the demand side by allowing providers to extract detailed information on
the needs profile of each user via web and social semantic mechanisms
This would give them information on new service opportunities assistance
needs and other useful items of information in a near real time
communication protocol
o the supply side by providing through big data and visual analytics
detailed and valuable information on the current social service system
capacity obtaining data from Web sectoral or relevant databases and
other structured or unstructured data sources (Linked Open Data)
Better knowledge The cloud and distributed knowledge management platforms
enable in-depth analysis of current markets They aggregate data via a well-
structured semantic interoperability approach and big data and visual analytics
technologies They enable in-depth evaluations of future scenarios thanks to data
mining and agent-based approaches
29
Better regulation Information deriving from all the actors involved in the
process could enrich the knowledge management environment thus enabling
institutions to adopt measures to improve processes (Process Changes) from a
regulatory and an operational point of view
Sirovatka-Greve (2015) identified four streams in the discussion of social innovation in
public services
The role of innovation in the knowledge economy (Room 2005) this focuses on
how innovation in technologies and in management can be applied to the
provision of public services
Public sector innovation (Bloch 2010) looking at how to support the private
sector in its efforts to innovate
Governance models (for instance decentralisation marketization or partnerships)
as sources of innovation (Van Berkel et al 2011)
Grass-roots organisations and initiatives how they can be empowered and
supported to innovate (Klein and Harrison 2007)
These four interrelated streams point to social innovation as a way of modernising public
sector systems adapting them to citizensrsquo needs and expectations better and more
economically sustainable
ICTs potential for enhancing innovation in social services could go beyond simply making
new products available or improving efficiency in management practices They can foster
a key characteristic of social innovation namely its capacity to bring together a broad
range of stakeholders facilitating their efforts to jointly build new and better answers to
ever-changing societal needs in spite of shrinking public budgets ICTs have enabled new
organisational business and value models Technological skills are often instrumental to
capacity building and to the empowerment of all operators engaged in the delivery of
social services innovation These skills may result in more sustainable individual and
collective behaviour and in self-regulation processes
332 ICTs enabling changes in social services delivery models
According to Van Berkel et al (2011) reforms in service delivery systems have been
traditionally related to three main movements decentralisation (political or
administrative) marketization (contracting-out or strengthening competition among
providers) and new public management (performance indicators incentives and
controlmonitoring mechanisms)
To better understand the contribution ICTs can make to the process of change in social
service delivery models it might be useful to consider another approach ie one that
looks at the link between the reform in service delivery systems and the social needs
primarily addressed in specific fields of social services
First of all ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can contribute to better
coordination among citizens and social services actors or beneficiaries and
formal and informal caregivers The aim of these ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to increase coordination and collaboration amongst those for example who
care for chronically-ill patients at home Here ICTs can act as an enabling factor that
drives the organizational transformation of service delivery A major advantage of ICTs is
that they provide case management services customized to the changing needs of the
patients and their relatives at the point of need In addition they can strengthen inter-
governmental integration and inter-sectorial communication among care providers ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives can increase the productivity of the workforce and
the cost-effectiveness of the service delivery process They can also ensure the overall
sustainability of the service in the mid to long term
30
Secondly ICTs encourage active inclusion and provide support to the care
practices communities The aim of these types of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to empower ageing people by increasing their capabilities to care for
themselves and at the same time to support their inclusion in society In this ICTs are
fundamental ldquogame changersrdquo substantially transforming care services delivery In line
with the SIP objectives they promote active inclusion and help to make significant
savings in care services delivery (eg less unplanned hospitalizations for adverse events
and increase of productivity of the care workforce)
Furthermore the contribution of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives may be seen
when we look at innovations for home care services delivery This type of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiative is the most frequently implemented because it is
recognised that home care for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF
etc) and ageing patients in general is much better than hospital care In contrast to the
previous cases the ICT focus here is on monitoring technologies (mainly sensors and
actuators) that can provide health professionals with data and information automatically
about patientsrsquo health status and allow a virtual nearly real-time interaction with them
These technologies can be ldquogame-changersrdquo in the modernisation of care services as
they enable a disruptive transformation of the care processes for these patients
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can also be game changers in integrating work
and care This type of initiative also fits in well with structural reforms that aim to allow
individuals of working age to remain productive and employable for longer than before
In addition ICT-enabled social innovation can contribute to transforming service delivery
models through better integration between employment and life-long learning
services throughout individualsrsquo lives They address the need to leverage the knowledge
capital of individuals and maintain the employability of Europeans at a high level In
these cases ICT-enabled social innovation can enable e-learning services and thus
maintain individualsrsquo employability levels over time andor to better integrate the back
offices of organizations which match job demand with job offer In more advanced cases
ICT can also be ldquogame changersrdquo by proactively integrating life-long learning services
with the automatic identification of skills gaps so that jobseekers meet job offer
requirements These initiatives increase individualsrsquo employability throughout their
working lives
ICTs also contribute to change by better integrating work family and social
inclusion These types of initiatives help individuals to cope with childcare keeping
them included in society and allowing them to participate in labour markets ICT-enabled
social innovation solutions facilitate the identification of the best service providers and
the coordination of public and private offers of childcare services for families They also
enhance the integration of public and private actors in their efforts to cover the whole
spectrum of childcare services These initiatives have an impact on the modernisation of
social services as they allow for example better synchronization of the public and
private offer of childcare services which in turn increases their cost-effectiveness They
also minimize vacancies andor overbooking of childcare services and reduce the
negative externalities affecting parents for instance reconciling family life social
inclusion and work
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives also improve the delivery of social inclusion
services for the homeless This type of services addresses the needs of homeless
people living in urban centres Homelessness is a complex problem which requires the
provision of structural solutions and at the same time first-aid interventions which cut
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
ICT-enabled social innovation in this case can support both sides of homeless peoples
needs as it can provide a more cost effective means of collaboration and coordination
between public and private actors involved in the delivery of a service ICTs can in fact
act as a ldquogame-changerrdquo by using information technology to help public and private
31
actors understand better the behaviour of homeless people and provide more effective
services at the point of need ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can significantly
improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery models
Finally ICT-enabled social innovation fosters the development of one-stop-shops
This is another type of social innovation initiative for the modernisation of social services
delivery in which ICTs can play a relevant role as already discussed
333 Enabling factors and barriers
Social innovation is a very high priority on the European political agenda (Haxeltine et al
2013 BEPA 2014) not only because it is seen as a new way to address social issues
oversaw by both private and public sectors but also because of the complex social
economic and environmental challenges which affect society
Social protection systems in EU Member States are facing a double challenge First they
must address contingency needs with reduced budgets as a consequence of the crisis
Second they must respond to the needs emerging from structural changes including
evolving social preferences and behaviours demographic change technological
innovations etc
As already discussed the public sector is having difficulties in addressing these
challenges Furthermore social services have not up until now been profitable enough for
the private sector Civil society and citizens however are finding new ways of providing
structural and sustainable answers to these challenges through social innovation
In this context promoting social innovation within social policies entails
Adopting an investment approach which is coherent with the anticipated societal
needs
Mobilising a wide range of actors other than the usual social sector actors
Combining skillsbackgroundculture and business in ways which differ from
traditional business solutions
It also requires policy makers and the public sector in general to provide a suitable
environment in which these efforts can flourish They must also embed social innovation
initiatives in the public sector transformation process Policy initiatives should also
provide incentives which would encourage private investors to become involved in social
investment They may then find new paradigms and business models which would give
them a return on their investments and at the same time have a positive social impact
(Bugg-Levine amp Emerson 2011 Epstein amp Yuthas 2014)
As recognized by Caulier-Grice et al (2012) the distinguishing element of social
innovation is that it can ldquomeet societal needsrdquo in more effective ways than other
approaches by ldquoenhancing society capacity to act and often entails changes in social and
power relationsrdquo Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises play an important role
because they can rdquocreate social values that is seen as the creation of benefits or
reduction of costs for society ndash through efforts that address social need and problems ndash
in ways that go beyond the private gains and general benefits of market activityrdquo (Phills
et al 2008)
Both social investment perspectives and social innovation policies aim to address
relevant societal needs and contribute to the sustainable development of society Both
put the individual at the centre of the decision process
The complementarities between social investment perspectives and social policy
innovation are presented in Table 3 below
32
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation
Source IESI internal elaboration inspired by Hautamaki (2010)
According to Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin (2014) the main message coming from social
innovation initiatives is that ldquothey are the opposite of quick-fix solutions using their full
potential requires nothing less than a combination of lsquothe deep strategies of chess
masters with the quick tactics of acrobatsrsquo The lifecycles of social innovations (processes
of emergence stabilisation and scaling up) are very conditional and are not available
simply at the press of a buttonrdquo
Social innovation is the focus of a whole range of European Commission policy initiatives
the European platform against poverty and social exclusion the Innovation Union the
Social Business Initiative the Employment and Social Investment packages the Digital
Agenda the new industrial policy the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy
Ageing and Cohesion Policy Furthermore many social innovation projects have been
funded by Structural Funds Social innovation has been explicitly integrated into the
Structural Funds Regulations for 2014-2020 This opens up possibilities for Member
States and regions to invest in social innovation both through the ERDF and the ESF
A recent report provides information on policies adopted by the EU to support the
introduction of social innovation in public service modernisation processes (Hubert
Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) In particular it recognizes that the public sector will achieve
greater gains in quality efficiency fairness transparency and accountability only by
following social innovation principles like
Co-designing and co-creating innovative solutions (with other Member States
other parts of government businesses the third sector and citizens)
Adopting new and collaborative service delivery models (across public private and
non-governmental actors both within and across national borders)
Embracing creative disruption from technology (the pervasive use of social media
mobility big data cloud computing packaged in new digital government
offerings)
Adopting an attitude of experimentation and entrepreneurship (government itself
needs to become bolder and more entrepreneurial) ldquo
To understand how social innovation can contribute in practice to social investments and
to the modernisation of the social protection and social security systems in Europe an in-
depth analysis of case studies of emerging social innovation initiatives was carried out as
described in the next chapter
Social investment policy Social policy innovation
Basic value
Mitigation of inequalities across social groups through economic development and employment growth
Wellbeing and sustainable development
Type of policy
Supply-driven with focus on human capital development and efficient use throughout the life course of the individuals
Demand-driven with beneficiaries at the centre of the decision process
Level of implementation National level Regional-local level
Field of action National Global
Actors addressed Mainly single institution (now) Inter-institutional complementarities (trend)
Multi-stakeholders
Implementation process Direction and control from above (top-down)
Enabling spontaneous processes and experiments and competitions (bottom-up)
33
4 Cases overview
41 Main characteristics
As described in Chapter 2 a two-step approach based on a multi-criteria analysis and the
IESI conceptual framework was used to define a set of successful or promising cases for
further study A brief overview of the 14 selected cases is presented in Table 4 below
Table 4 Selected Case Studies
Initiative Acronym Country Area of service Welfare model
A Book for a Roof A Book for a Roof
Croatia Education and training - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Central Eastern Europe
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
ACTION Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Nordic
Badalona Assistance Services
BSA Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Mediterranean
Crossroads Bank for Social Security
CBSS Belgium Social care - Social assistance Employment - Civic engagement
Continental
Online Point of Single Contact
EESTIEE Estonia Civic engagement - Social care - Social assistance - Childcare - Education and training - Social housing - Employment - Social inclusion participation - Independent living
Central Eastern European
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
EKSOTE Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Nordic
Digitalisation of social security services
INPS Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement
Mediterranean
Little bird Little Bird Germany Childcare Continental
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
PASS Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Anglo-Saxon
Reform of employee
insurance implementation institution
PES Netherla
nds Employment - Employability - Social assistance
Continental
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web
Pocircle Emploi
France Employment - Employability
Continental
Strategy for Digital Welfare
SDW Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Nordic
National Telecare Development Programme
TDP Scotland UK
Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Anglo-Saxon
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
W2W Poland Employment - Employability
Central Eastern Europe
Source IESI internal elaboration
Some of the above initiatives have had a significant impact on the modernisation of
processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services at national level
These have a specific focus on the simplification of citizen access to social services and
the sustainability of social protection services for example the digitalization of services
(INPS) in Italy Estoniarsquos single point of contact (EESTIEE) the employee insurance
implementation institution (PES) in the Netherlands and the strategy for digital welfare
(SDW) in Denmark
34
Some of the selected initiatives focus solely on employment and employability PES Pocircle
Emploi and Express Train to Employment (W2W) These initiatives provide e-services for
jobseekers and employers at national level Other cases focus mainly on education and
training but also seek to improve social inclusion and the employability of beneficiaries
(eg A book for a Roof)
All the selected initiatives present a high degree of transferability In fact the service
models implemented in some of the initiatives have already been transferred to other
policy areas andor other geographical areas or are based on experiences in other
contexts for example Little Bird and W2W
The selected cases provide good coverage of the different types of actors generally
involved in ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives from the public private and third
sector The latter especially play a prominent role in some of the selected cases both as
initiative promoters and as active partners for example Pathway Accommodation amp
Support System (PASS) and A Book for a Roof
As shown in Figure 8 which illustrates the geographical distribution of the selected
initiatives the five welfare systems are covered fairly equally In addition as many
different EU countries as possible are included Each case represents a different country
and 14 different countries have therefore been covered in our analysis
Figure 8 Geographical distribution
Source IESI internal elaboration
Moreover the initiatives analysed represent all the PSSGI areas As shown in Table 5
below most of the initiatives because of the nature of the services offered and their
level of integration involve more than one type of social services
This is in line with the objectives of the IESI research It aims to explore initiatives which
have potential systemic effects on social protection systems and therefore considers the
ICT-enabled social innovation ecosystem (Misuraca et al 2015) in which each initiative
is embedded rather than individual practices focusing on a single area
35
Table 5 Social services addressed
Initiativersquos acronym
Country N of
PSSGI involved
Primary focus area
Additional focus areas
A Book for a Roof
Croatia 5 Education and training
Social Inclusion participation Civic engagement Social Assistance Employment
ACTION Sweden 5 Active Healthy Ageing
Independent living Integrated health- and social care Social Assistance Education and training
BSA Spain 3
Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
CBSS Belgium 4 Social Care Social Assistance Employment Civic engagement
EESTIee Estonia 9 Civic Engagement
Social Care Social assistance Childcare Education and training Social Housing Employment Social inclusionparticipation Independent living
EKSOTE Finland 2 Integrated health- and social care
Social Care
INPS Italy 4 Social Assistance
Social Care Social Inclusionparticipation Civic engagement
Little Bird Germany 1 Childcare None
PASS Ireland 2 Social Housing Social Assistance
PES Netherlands 3 Employment Employability Social Assistance
Pocircle Emploi France 2 Employability Employability Employment
SDW Denmark 5 Social Assistance
Social Care Education and training Integrated health- and social care Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
TDP United Kingdom
3 Independent living
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
W2W Poland 2 Employability Employment
Source IESI internal elaboration
Figure 9 shows the distribution of the selected cases across all the PSSGI covered by
the 14 selected cases It shows that the initiatives deal mostly with the following social
services areas social inclusionparticipation (17 of all initiatives) social assistance
(14) education and training (14) employability (12) and active and healthy ageing
(with all sub-areas combined 10)
36
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services
Source IESI internal elaboration
As explained in Chapter 2 the initiatives were assessed and selected against two
dimensions namely the level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled
innovation potential Figure 10 below illustrates the distribution of the selected
initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map where they have been located according to their
level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map
Source IESI internal elaboration
37
42 Areas of focus across the case studies
As already underlined in Section 2 the selected initiatives have high scores for at least
one of the two following dimensions ICT-enabled innovation potential and level of
governance of service integration The cross-case analysis therefore focuses on the other
two dimensions discussed namely the most significant social innovation elements which
characterise the initiatives and the type of service integration achieved or targeted
421 Social innovation focus
Our analysis shows that some initiatives which were conceived in order to meet new
emerging needs in the context of more complex societal challenges are either rooted in
or give rise to wider ranging structural changes at organizational and management level
(including at governance level) This type of structural change allows the creation and
allocation of new public value for citizens These initiatives normally target a wide
variety of beneficiaries and relevant needs see INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP
For example the implementation of the INPS (IT) initiative well represents a process
whose main initial objective was to move toward a need drivenoutcome-oriented service
production This required a complete redesign of the entire service production process
and the active contribution of all the stakeholders involved such as other public
administrations private intermediaries (Unions Tax Assistance Centres Labour market
consultants) and public and private job centres which resulted in a fundamental change
in the relationship between stakeholders It also transformed completely the traditional
way of managing running and controlling social security services using a new model
based on a client pathway approach This initiative is highly innovative since it improves
access to services in a one-stop shop approach allows the traceability of accounts and
enhances the accountability and transparency of the overall system
PASS (IE) is another good example of structural change and complete innovation in the
design of services for homeless people The overall need was to ensure better
coordination between the different institutions and private operators in the delivery of
services to homeless people The initiative has become a comprehensive client
management system for homeless service users which also provides statistical
information on homeless peoplersquos profiles and their use of the services The initiative has
become a powerful strategic instrument in the fight against homelessness PASS allows
us to identify emerging issues faced by the homeless it facilitates cooperation among
different agencies in order to provide a continuum of care and integrated assistance and
allows better planning of future services In this case the development of user pathways
in and out of the homeless service system which focus on individual needs rather than
on a specific group has also been central to the success of the initiative The system
produces statistical information on the homeless population which is being used by
public and private stakeholders to plan and manage programmes and strategies The
support provided to the homeless is therefore more effective and answers their needs
better This approach is more typical of the Anglo-Saxon welfare model in which private
sector actors are more involved in delivery systems
SDW (DK) is a digital strategy which aims to foster more cohesive welfare through
greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among administrations and stakeholders by
making use of ICTs It also seeks to create better opportunities to improve citizensrsquo
everyday lives in many areas such as healthcare social care labour market and
education through technologies Furthermore the digital transformation of welfare
services gives managers and employees in the public sector a more active role for
instance in motivating and assisting citizens to use technological solutions and get the
most out of them It makes the public sector more dynamic and innovative and capable
of delivering services of high quality As in other Nordic welfare social protection
systems social innovation in SDW is more about complementing and improving existing
public sector-led initiatives where the public sector plays a pivotal role in their success
than creating new services
38
Finally TDP (Scotland) and BSA (ES) allocate public value to citizens by integrating the
health and the social care sectors This facilitates the alignment of service funding and
incentives the promotion of inter-professional teams across the continuum of care as
and strong focused and diverse governance representing all stakeholders These
initiatives also foster a culture of cohesion which while familiar in the Anglo- Saxon
welfare model is more unusual and innovative in the Mediterranean welfare model
Nevertheless all the cases analysed in this section (INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP)
are the result of the general public spending review process in place at a national level
which encourages an overall rethinking of the ldquoapproach to clientrdquo in order to remain
sustainable over time
422 Social Service focus
Other initiatives focus on the social service itself Here the aim is to improve the match
between demand and supply with regard to a specific need These initiatives are
therefore mostly needs-driven and devoted to enhancing the outcomes of the
social protection system They consist of adapting the service supply and its delivery to
evolving needs It is quite a common priority of social protection systems in the Nordic
and Continental European welfare models and it appears in initiatives with a clearly
defined target service and a specific class of beneficiaries
PES (NL) focuses on building an accessible virtual market place in order to bridge the
gap between job seekers with difficulties to enter the labour market (mainly people with
disabilities) and employers who are willing to hire people from this group More precisely
this virtual market place makes more information available in order to allow profiling of
capabilities and competences and also supplies information on possible vacancies In
addition it provides accompanying services such as legal support profiling support etc
All this enhances the transparency of the labour market It allows the disabled to
participate in the workforce and the vacancies available for disabled employees to be
filled It also makes the communication with disabled applicants more timely and
efficient
EKSOTE (FI) and ACTION (SE) target senior citizens and their relatives in the area of
active and healthy ageing and long-term care They seek to reduce the incidence of a
typical condition and encourage people to care for themselves and live independently at
home They also support formal and informal carers The focus is on improving the
quality of care services through a more integrated and coordinated provision of social
services a simplification of the administration better targeting of benefits and it also
directs considerable educational efforts to beneficiaries and caregivers who use the new
services These initiatives enhance the cost-effectiveness of social services and allow the
provision of services which better meet the needs of senior citizens and their relatives
Another interesting case is A Book for a Roof which also targets a clearly defined type
of beneficiary namely homeless people It provides a well-defined social service offer -
ie ICT-training that improves homeless peoplesrsquo chances of finding a job It fosters
social inclusion and promotes the use of internet as an inclusion tool two innovative
components for homelessness services The initiative focuses on homeless peoplesrsquo
chances of re-engaging with the job market It helps them build a positive self-image a
challenge for one of the most complex socially-excluded population groups This initiative
seems to have an impact- albeit on a small-scale ndash on the complexity of needs that
causes homelessness with a simple but effective ldquoreciperdquo It invests in soft skills and
human relationships instead of giving financial or material support The philosophy
behind the initiative is that motivation and partnership can overcome the malfunctioning
or inadequacy of traditional systems This problem is particularly widespread in the
Central-Eastern European welfare states where social care and support are mainly based
on passive allocation of benefits This approach sometimes prevents vulnerable people
from reacting adequately in order to be socially included again
39
423 Open processes of co-creation and collaborative networks
Another group of initiatives focuses on open processes of co-creation and
collaborative innovation networks Their aim is to contribute to establishing new
types of relationships between community and institutions and to capitalize on
partnerships between the public and private sectors The use of information from
different sources for planning purposes is a common aspect of the initiatives belonging to
this group
EESTIEE (EE) for example offers a portal which provides services from various public
institutions through one single entry-point simplifying the administrative burden and
connecting entrepreneurs and citizens with institutions and private-sector entities such
as banks telecom providers and energy companies In this case the availability of
information is crucial for the provision of online procedures that enhance access to
services and participation in service delivery models
Like other initiatives in the Continental welfare model Little Bird (DE) and Pocircle Emploi
(FR) illustrate an extensive statutory social security system based on solidarity Little
Bird contributes to the goals of family-friendly policies that increase maternity and
paternity rights and offer a better work-life balance and easier access to childcare The
approach helps to match the childcare offer and demand by offering information and an
online search tool for parents looking for childcare and facilitating the administration of
childcare facilities for providers The creation of a simple online platform greatly
promoted engagement in civil society parents and providers and other relevant
operators are involved in a collaborative innovation network where they all proactively
develop implement and adopt this innovation by contributing their respective
knowledge Indeed in this open process of co-creation all stakeholders bring their
knowledge information experience and resources especially those that are relevant to
them since they are all direct beneficiaries
In Pocircle Emploi the transformative use of ICTs is apparent in the interactions between
jobseekers and counsellors ICTs are used to improve beneficiariesrsquo digital skills This
increases their employment opportunities and helps fight digital exclusion and social
isolation The Pocircle Emploi 100 Web initiative contributes to addressing policy goals
related to active inclusion strategies by promoting greater engagement of employers and
job seekers improving the quality of services provided and enhancing transparency in
processes and digital access to services
CBSS (BE) sought to address the problems arising from the lack of coordination and
integration of the information flows across different social security actors For example
an information burden is imposed on citizens and companies if they are required to
provide the same information several times It started as a coordinated information
management programme and led to the creation of a permanent and interoperable social
security network which includes all social security institutions operating in Belgium It
therefore acts as a public services integrator in the social security sector This has
allowed the reengineering and full automation of the social security organizational
processes for the benefit of the concerned institutions citizens and companies
W2W is another example of disruptive innovation which relies on the cooperation among
public institutions and private employment agencies The initiative profiles job demand
and supply better and thus creates opportunities which were not available before It has
enabled the co-design of a new set of employment services with shared funding and
shared governance The involvement of private operators in the delivery process is a
rather innovative approach for the Central-Eastern European welfare model where the
private sector has not traditionally played a pivotal role
40
5 Results from cross-case analysis
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems
The cross-case analysis has allowed us to gather insights into the contribution ICTs make
to the implementation of innovation in the social sector and to establish more
sustainable effective and accessible services The results achieved by these contributions
in turn affect the overall contribution ICTs could make to the implementation of the
Social Investment Package and the achievement of its policy goals and objectives
511 ICTs contribute to tackle emerging societal challenges
This section focuses on the enabling role of ICTs in achieving the necessary integration
at different levels This allows the redesign of services a new balance in the relationships
between private and public sector involved in the service delivery process an increase in
the transparency of processes and procedures that consume resources allocated to social
services better identification of individualsrsquo needs and better allocation of budgets
From the cross-case analysis we can see that ICTs play a crucial role in promoting social
innovation and social investment They enhance possible solutions to cope with global
trends which increase the complexity in the delivery of social services These trends are
summarised as follows
a) Supply and demand paradox
The crisis has left a lot of people in economic distress and at the same time public
budgets have been eroded Public administrations must reinvent their role within the
community as follows
Internally leveraging on the possibilities of achieving operational efficiency
(reengineering of production processes shifting resources from back office to
front office leveraging existing assets redefining services portfolios following
activity-based management principles etc)
Externally identifying synergies at inter-institutional level (with other public
agencies at local national and European level) investing in new cooperation with
other private providers at inter-sectoral level (eg intermediaries third sector
organizations academic researchers etc) designing public interventions in a
client-centred way (ldquoclient pathwayrdquo) independently of where the administrative
responsibility for the service lies
With regard to both trends ICTs help to free up resources which can then be reallocated
to processes and activities that create added-value They also play an enabling role in
establishing information exchange which fosters cooperation among different agencies
Rethinking service management and service delivery models to harness new technologies
and approaches and integrating service providers to gain efficiency help to close the
gap between supply and demand and between skillscapabilities and the broadening
range of demands
b) Empowerment of the individual
Global education and increasing awareness of civil rights and consequent responsibility
within communities empower citizens ICTs are helping to give individuals a more central
role in the decision making process They allow individuals to actively participate
through mechanisms such as co-design and co-development in the design and
development of social service models In this respect individuals are increasingly
knowledgeable about their needs and the contribution they can make as service
recipients to aligning social services with demand
41
Individuals play a crucial role in social innovation in both the planning and the delivery
phase They can co-develop service delivery models and assess the quality and
outcomes of the social services
ICTs can contribute to reshaping the ldquoprovider-recipientsrdquo paradigm in the social services
management and delivery model creating new social and economic values that can
counterbalance the decrease in resources The availability of clear trackable and
controlled information empowers individuals increases their awareness and their ability
to participate in the decision-making process Beneficiaries are better able to manage
their own care through the use of innovative platforms and web and mobile devices and
they are in fact becoming increasingly accustomed to these technologies
c) Economic inter-connectedness
International trade and capital flows call for a new way to identify and measure ldquovaluerdquo
In particular social benefits delivery across different Countries or regional systems can
produce overlaps and hamper efficiency and effectiveness when not managed
comprehensively The approach taken must consider all levels of delivery (local national
European) and needs to conceptualize the user in a global and inter-connected socio-
economic system
ICTs make it possible to take a lsquoclient pathwayrsquo approach which puts the beneficiaryrsquos
needs at the centre They improve strategic planning and systems integrity by sharing
information between different agencies Data analytics enable a better understanding of
service usage patterns system outcomes and resources available so they can be
targeted more efficiently and fraud or errors can be detected and countered
The new social value created must be analysed and understood through a common
approach so that it can be distributed fairly among the stakeholders involved
d) Demographic and urbanisation trends
The ageing population in Europe poses new challenges for healthcare welfare and
pension systems At the same time young people will have to be integrated into the
labour market and socially included Migration flows add to the challenge to promote an
inclusive society Moreover it is expected that by 2030 two thirds of the worldrsquos
population will live in cities creating more opportunities for social and economic
development for sustainable living but also increasing pressure on infrastructures and
social resources
Structural interventions are the main instruments to address these socio-demographic
megatrends Current social service systems can only expand to cope with the increasing
demand through a greater use of technologies These allow personalized support enable
independent living at home or in care facilities and help meet savings targets The
widespread use of the internet and of mobile computing devices for example allows
people to help themselves and also fulfils peoplesrsquo expectations in an always-on world
New technologies foster flexibility offer new collaborative working opportunities in
service delivery allow beneficiaries to play a more active role in the design and delivery
of services and make social services more affordable
The cases analysed show that ICTs have helped promote social innovation and social
investment They have also enabled the implementation of new approaches to service
management and delivery In particular ICT tools have been key success factors for
Integrating services We can conclude from our analysis that there is increasing
awareness of the need to integrate human resources and social services in order
to produce more effective solutions to many of the societal challenges For
example the INPS initiative integrated various systems and service models to
provide a single point of customer service through the implementation of a multi-
42
channel approach managed exclusively digitally This innovation in the service
delivery model reduces administrative costs and increases efficiency by
eliminating duplication in processes such as client authentication and verification
which is supported by the automation of these processes INPS also highlights
the need to further improve technological tools in order to expand the portfolio of
services eg by integrating mobile devices into the service model in order to
reach the overall target population PES is another good example of how an
administration (Dutch) can provide users with more effective services by
eliminating barriers to access and offering a more holistic and client-centric
approach This brings together different services to address critical employment-
related needs and builds a real-time labour market place enhancing the match
between labour demand and offer EKSOTE focuses on a new integrated
approach the aim of which is to centralise the allocation of resources on the basis
of the populationrsquos needs and to facilitate the access to services and the
transparency of the information management system particularly for older people
and long-term care patients Its holistic approach helped in the coordination of
welfare and social service public providers Finally TDP strengthens preventive
care beyond traditional hospital-based treatments and promotes full integration of
healthcare services rather than stand-alone or vertical services This approach
has resulted in significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of services
Public Private Partnership Models Our analysis shows that PPPs can lead to
cost efficiencies and help to cope with the need to reduce intervention by the
public sector The result is a better focus on core service components and greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment In the PASS experience a
needs-driven approach was implemented this approach provided new public
value re-allocation giving systematic information to agencies and operators
working with the homeless It led to greater efficiency while maintaining high
quality service delivery The ACTION initiative shows how a technology-based
home care service developed by a public-private partnership can leverage on the
use of ICTs and help older people live independently by empowering them
(through training and expert support) and their family carers It has been
successful in getting older people and their family carers to actively participate in
the initiative Little Bird is another example of a publicprivate partnership
which has reallocated the place of care to the family environment It has
generated benefits for both children and parents by establishing an interactive
process which maps the entire range of administrative functions involved in the
allocation of childcare services In addition the government and the private
entities involved have obtained significant cost savings on service provision
Enhancing accountability the effectiveness of protection system services can
be enhanced by strengthening financial and accounting systems in order to better
detect fraud and address inefficiencies CBSS has fully integrated the workflows of
around 3000 social security national institutions making the whole process
available online This provided single and fast access to all social services and
benefits for customers as well as infrastructure and systems to the involved
organisations which increased agility and data transparency One of the main
lessons learned in SDW relates to accountability it developed an integrated
electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social sector which
allowed social security offices access to all the information needed to calculate all
social security contributions This is used for tracking procedures and to avoid
irregularities
e) Case management
We found that services tailored to and assessed against the changing needs of clients
and care givers increases the cost-effectiveness of service management and delivery
process This approach safeguards the overall sustainability of the service in the mid to
43
long-term W2W and Pocircle Emploi focus on profiling capabilities and the expectations of
the unemployed They customize their support services to match job demands and
supply with surprising results in terms of labour inclusion and reduction in the
unemployment rate A Book for a Roof shows that the individualised management of
care initiatives has found new ways of dealing with homelessness It uses cultural
interventions and focuses on enhancing peoplersquos skills and the use of the internet as an
inclusive environment This approach has increased the motivation of homeless people to
be included in society
512 ICTs contribute establishing more effective and accessible services
This section focuses on the capacity of ICTs to enhance productivity in the care sector
achieve cost savings increase the overall quality of the services from the point of view of
the recipients and build a single-point of access to multiple services
ICTs can improve social service management and delivery models provide new or better
answers to social protection system challenges and needs of individuals establish new
relationships and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders Thus they can contribute
significantly to delivering the reforms needed for the modernisation of social protection
systems
ICTs have been used as enablers of new public management approaches They can
promote pluralistic models of public service provision delivered by business the non-
profit sector and government actors working together increasing the proximity of
services providers to citizens In this respect the cases analysed have revealed a
growing emphasis on the importance of cost freedom of choice and quality of service
provision Government is no longer considered to be the only provider but is instead
engaged in controlling and financing services through the separation of the political
decision-making processes from the management side This new perception of the role of
the public sector role allows services to be delivered by partnerships made up of a range
of public and private actors As a result there is a need for more articulated forms of
cooperation and coordination than inter-agency systems
From the cross-case analysis we can deduce that ICTs contribute to the modernisation
of the social protection system because they allow
More productive care services and cost saving The cases analysed provide
evidence that ICT-enabled social innovation takes the traditional concept of
innovation ndash ie innovation improves productivity and in turn leads to economic
growth (in terms of GDP) ndash one step further They expand this paradigm to a
more complex development model which becomes crucial especially when
considering all the negative externalities (eg unemployment environmental
risks social exclusion etc) that characterise the current development models
The analysed development model can be seen as a form of economic and social
development which implies the sustainable use of all resources Sustainability
seems to be achieved by applying business principles to develop solutions to
social problems and social demands In this framework ICTs have led to the
creation of new jobs and improved the inclusion of marginalized categories of the
population in a virtuous and sustainable socio-economic circle They have enabled
social investments and social innovation to realise their full potential producing a
considerable mid- to long-term impact on society as a whole The cost savings
made in service provision is also crucial if we measure the contribution of social
and health care services to wellbeing These cost savings contribute to increasing
the portfolio of services or improving quality of services which as a result answer
peoplersquos needs better and decrease the burden of social services on tax payers
W2W part of the UK Welfare-to-Work programme was implemented by the
Polish public sector (Polish Government of Malopolska Region) as part of their
employment services It provides good evidence of the potential of ICT to enable
44
the development of a new cooperation model between public labour services
social support institutions non-governmental organizations and non-public
operators The programme aims to design and test outsourcing employment
(back-to-work) services with an individualized and thus more effective approach
to engaging the unemployed This profiling approach has increased the efficiency
of public spending as payments are only made when specific outcomes are
achieved (payment by results) The platform tested by the regional government
of the Malopolska (Cracow) Region serves as a new model for engaging the long-
term unemployed it includes all the information needed to better profile the
unemployed and fill the gap between job demand and workforce Specific
attention is paid to the long-term unemployed for whom the mechanism allocates
more resources in recognition of the greater difficulties faced when trying to re-
enter the job market Different activities are carried out to upgrade the
candidatesrsquo profiles in order to make them more ldquoattractiverdquo for employers The
mechanisms used to monitor and control the success of the activities upon which
payments to actors are based is enabled by ICT tools SDW has also developed
an integrated electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social
sector It aims to make available all the information needed by the social security
offices to calculate all social security contributions This significant ICT-driven
change resulted in a radical transformation paper data exchange was eliminated
and replaced by direct electronic data flows The burden on the administration
was reduced and so was the opportunity for fraud Coordination between services
increased benefiting both citizens and the publicprivate institutions The strategy
focused on digital solutions as a means of increasing service capacity and value
for money through greater efficiency cooperation and knowledge sharing It
enabled communities families and individuals to contribute to the generation of
societal wellbeing Another example is provided by the TDP experience which
showed the large potential benefits related to the cost effectiveness of the care
service delivery process However due to actual reductions in the number of beds
in care homes closure of hospital wards and other not always implemented
service adjustments these efficiency gains did not result in cash savings
Nevertheless based on the lessons learned through the TDP experience a new 3
year Technology-Enabled Care Programme costing pound30m was launched across
Scotland in 2014 This programme aimed to broaden outcomes for individuals in
homes or community settings through the application of technology as an integral
part of quality cost-effective care and support
Enhancing the quality of care The cases analysed showed how ICTs can
contribute to higher quality of service provision They enhance the quality of life
of care recipients improving their health-related quality of life and their social
participation their self-esteem and empower them with better access to services
and multi-channelling approaches They also enhance the quality of life of
relatives and care givers enabling them to reduce the burden of care and
allowing them to reconcile care and work Thus they make social care closer to
the individualrsquos life conditions Finally they also have a positive impact on the
quality of services by facilitating information sharing allowing the use of data
analytics to customise the service delivered and to enhance knowledge skills and
competences In EKSOTE ICTs made an important contribution to the process of
integration of the public and private organizations involved in social care services
for the older population in a functional cost effective and user-oriented
approach The initiative took a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and prevention
approach to the care of older people at home giving them physical psychological
and sociocultural assistance The approach ensures that citizens have equal
access to social and health care services across the boundaries of municipalities
ICT made this initiative possible by integrating information across private and
public organizations along with the care service delivery process As a result the
criteria used to measure and assess needs has been standardised so that all
customers are treated equally in the assessment process This has allowed the
45
centralization of service needs assessment for the whole area by means of an
agile business process development approach This more efficient and
standardized process has given clients in the whole area better services and fairer
access to them Another good example of enhanced quality of care is ACTION
This initiative included remote provision of dedicated information and education
programmes which strengthen ability of older people and their relatives to care
for themselves and cope with the issues that typically arise for frail elderly
people Family carers received on-demand support through ICTs from local
service centres staffed with qualified professionals ICTs also supported
networking and mutual exchange between service users and facilitated the
sharing of information education and support to older people and their family
carers As a direct result the family carers felt more competent and secure in
their caring role and older people gained access to some of the opportunities
offered by todayrsquos information society In addition the service enhanced the
social inclusion of frail older people and their carers traditionally excluded from
the benefits of ICT and helped them gain more overall control over their own
lives enriching the caring relationship Finally professional carers experienced
improved job satisfaction and municipalities benefited from a more effective use
of available resources This was due to the multi-channel approach used to deliver
services which increased quality and led to a more efficient use of staffrsquos time In
the BSA initiative the integration between health and social care departments
was facilitated by the use of ICT through new approaches to service delivery
(such as telemonitoring and teleassistance) This shift from hospital-based or
residential assistance to forms of support at home resulted in considerable cost
reductions It increased the quality of life of both recipients and care givers and
gave rise to a more cost-effective model The change in citizensrsquo perceptions of
how public and private organizations should operate and contribute to wellbeing
had a great cultural impact which contributed to wellbeing promoting
commitment and reducing the digital divide in the district Another initiative
Little Bird addressed familiesrsquo needs to find a childcare service by optimising the
search facility on an ICT platform and providing organizational support to
childcare facilities By seeking to optimize the use of resources for both the
demand and supply side this ICT-based interactive process succeeded in mapping
the entire range of administrative functions used for the allocation of childcare
services This unique package of solutions offers advantages for parents who can
check online and in real-time all childcare services and availabilities From the
providersrsquo point of view the system allows them to predict the demand for their
services Finally public administrations also benefit from having an overview of
spare capacity or surplus demand in the childcare sector allowing them to better
tailor future policies The initiative offers a technical solution that allows more
integrated and cost-effective management of childcare services both public and
private This has contributed greatly to reducing externalities such as the child
care burden for families It has allowed them to increase their productivity and
achieve a better balance between family life work life and child care A book for
a roof finally shows how ICT can play a significant role in setting up a radically
new match between cultural investment and social need The use of ICT for
personal file management and profiling of competences and the use of internet as
an inclusive environment to involve homeless people enhancing their motivation
and increasing their chances of getting a job radically changed the existing
approach to homelessness problems It has therefore led to a paradigm shift in
the provision of social assistance services to the homeless
The set-up of one-stop-shop models Many of the cases analysed introduce
organizational models in which service users are provided with a single entry point
into social protection systems This simplifies organisation enhances service
delivery and boosts the uptake of services In many cases new models of service
provision have been developed which provide more accessible and user-friendly
information They improve the coordination among different levels of government
46
and reduce greatly the administrative burden on customers and providers We
identified several models from fully integrated and physically co-located services
to virtual information portals or frontlines of complex single agencies to umbrella
structures covering several agencies In some cases a single agency was created
to implement a ldquoone-stop shoprdquo offering a wide portfolio of services to its
customers for example INPS This organisation aims to optimise resources for
the entire portfolio of services (including social benefits and pensions) through
digital channels (amongst others the ldquocontact centrerdquo) It developed a completely
new service delivery model which allowed ldquoone shop stoprdquo access to services and
the continuous tracking and monitoring of ongoing service requests The initiative
produced positive outcomes for the Italian population as whole thanks to a
reduction in the payment of undue benefits and the increased transparency and
accountability of the overall system which allows requests and services to be
tracked With respect to public administration effectiveness the digitalisation of
services through INPS allowed the integration of initiatives with other public
operators in the welfare sector and with private intermediaries which avoided
overlaps and helped to optimize the use of public resources for the benefit of the
citizens INPS decreased the workload and made savings of around 1000 FTEs
thereby reducing the public administrationrsquos spending In other cases more
complex structures have been introduced for instance when the one-stop-shop
operates on top of partner organizations Here the aim is to maximize the
convenience also for clients of all other partners by integrating services eg
through intra-governmental partnerships This is the case of EESTIEE and CBSS
In EESTIEE ICTs have been used to build Estoniarsquos information gateway This
complex one-stop-shop mechanism for the provision of online procedures and
information has also fostered technical collaboration between different authorities
ICTs played a key role in the promotion of an extensive digitalisation of public
procedures and had a profound impact on Estoniarsquos operational and administrative
model It also changed the way business was promoted and supported As a
result users gained greater access and the system achieved greater efficiency
Transaction costs and duplication were reduced for citizens providers and
government alike ICTs changed the relationships between government and
citizens and other relevant stakeholders and led to the digital transformation of
public services They also transformed the way services were delivered The CBSS
case helps us understand how the introduction of a one-stop shop to implement
electronic service delivery can lead to a structural reform process In this
particular case ICTs transformed the delivery of social security services by
initiating a business reengineering process within and across all the 3000
organizations involved in the Belgian social security system At the same time
back-office functions were automatized significantly and this reduced the
duplication of information which was significant because of the sheer number of
social security actors The new ICT-based system significantly increased the re-
use of information and made it possible to send responses to beneficiaries and
civil servants automatically This led to a considerable simplification of procedures
and introduced a new more integrated and personalised way of communicating
with citizens and companies which is better aligned with the needs of the final
users
In a more specific field ndash that of unemployment ndash two other one-stop-shop approaches
provide good evidence on how ICTs can contribute to the modernisation of social
protection systems Pocircle Emploi and PES
Pocircle Emploi shows that by placing innovation at the centre of the reform of social
services structural improvements and sustainable outcomes can be achieved This
initiative fully digitalised the support services offered to jobseekers in order to bring them
closer to the labour market Pocircle Emploi improved its web-platform and developed free
online services for the matching of CVs and job offers e-counselling e-training etc
47
that can be accessed by any jobseeker or enterprise The impact achieved in terms of
facilitating access and take-up of employment services and meeting job-seekers
expectations and needs has been remarkable ICTs played a crucial role in this initiative
It developed a platform capable of providing a centralised and secure database of
unemployment information and it became an aggregator of labour market policies and
initiatives The Pocircle Emploi website is now the leading job site in France in terms of
number of users Its success is the reason for the subsequent launch of an ambitious
policy around big data for policy support
In the PES case ICTs have also played a vital role especially in targeting and identifying
final beneficiaries more effectively They have increased the value of employment-related
interventions and trust in government ICTs have led to more inclusive labour markets
and fostered self-employment especially via job market intermediaries They support
social inclusion employment and more general civil engagement activities which target
disadvantaged groups eg the disabled young people and people at risk of poverty and
social exclusion The one-stop shop developed in PES takes a revolutionary approach It
encourages more individuals to actively participate in the labour market and interact with
the government online by giving them the opportunity to use multiple delivery channels
and at times more convenient for them In this case ICTs have brought key benefits to
all stakeholders involved in public employment services and social services provision by
introducing a new optimised online system 90 of the services are delivered via digital
means and through digital interaction In this Dutch initiative digital platforms have
transformed many of the traditional interactions addressing the needs of job seekers
the young the disabled unemployed and employersrsquo requirements and especially setting
up partnerships with municipalities and empowering other social services
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success
Our cross-case analysis identified many innovation elements as key factors which could
in principle determine the achievement of relevant results and therefore the overall
success of an initiative These are briefly explained in this section
521 Active involvement of beneficiaries improves services delivery
Active involvement of beneficiaries and end users is crucial not only during the design
and implementation phases of the initiative but also in the continuous improvement of
the services delivered Mechanisms have been implemented for discussing and
monitoring results and for capturing information on customeruser satisfaction which
allow service providers to better address the needs of users In order to ensure easy
accessibility and usability of services complementary services and training programmes
have been provided These ensure that less technologically advanced users can reap the
benefits from the new service provision A good example is EESTIEE which built an
open process of co-creation and a collaborative innovation network between public
agencies and beneficiaries in an extensive reshaping of the relationships between
community and institutions TDP committed its national health system stakeholders to
rigorous collaboration which caused a fundamental change in their relationships CBSS is
another example of the involvement of beneficiaries which allowed both cross-sectoral
integration between public and private institutions and actors and vertical integration
among national regional and local administrations In terms of civil society
engagement Little Bird involved parents families and providers in the co-design
development and fine tuning of the solution it offered W2W used ICTs to redesign
employment policies and services provision with the cooperation of operators the
information they provided and their interaction with job seekers A similar approach was
followed by Pocircle Emploi which centralised unemployment information with secure
access aggregating and matching labour market supply and demand while supporting
beneficiaries with guided tutoring activity
48
522 Partnership and commitment at different levels are key
Another element of success across the initiatives analysed has been the involvement of
stakeholders representing different social needs and roles Their contribution of
knowledge information experience and resources of different kinds and from different
sources has allowed the definition of innovative solutions The engagement of
stakeholders at different levels was achieved not only because they were committed to
the implementation of the activities but also because it was in some cases the basis for
joint financing of the initiative itself The type of stakeholders identified in the cases
studied included beneficiaries (eg employed and unemployed people older people the
disabled the homeless etc) carers and families private and public service providers
(eg public authorities labour agencies libraries labour market consultants etc)
innovators and researchers (eg universities entrepreneurs and other private service
developers) health and social care professionals trainers and teachers non-profit
organisations (eg carer and patient organisations volunteer organisations trade
associations unions etc) and volunteers A very good example of commitment between
stakeholders at different levels is the INPS initiative which built a new model of service
delivery based on the synergies of different operators This led to a disruptive change in
service delivery through a multi-channel approach where all kinds of stakeholders
played a role including beneficiaries intermediaries and public institutions ACTION
benefitted from the close cooperation between service recipients developers and the
municipality which was of crucial importance for the initial implementation of the service
as well as for the later expansion of the ICT-based intervention which targeted clients
and their families at home PES created a real time labour market which benefitted from
the partnership between job seekers private providers and labour agencies at different
levels contributing to a fundamental change to the traditional services delivery EKSOTE
used the organizational integration of the providers to build a common access point for
users Finally BSA was made possible by cross-sectoral cooperation between social and
health care sectors providers and between providers recipients and caregivers
523 Developing a policy framework to support sustainability is needed
Political commitment andor a policy and regulatory context conducive to the
development and use of ICTs in social services are important enabling factors they
facilitate the success of the initiative and increase its chances of becoming sustainable
In most of the cases analysed policy programmes provided medium- to long-term
funding for the implementation of the initiatives This encouraged the creation of lasting
partnerships accelerated the decision-making process and facilitated the scaling up of
the outcomes achieved TDP for example was able to provide evidence about the
significant potential benefits of a more cost-effective care service delivery process
thanks to the Scottish Governmentrsquos commitment and financing in conjunction with the
National Health care system in Scotland In addition the adoption of a 3 year pound30m
Scotland-wide programme to support a new Technology-Enabled Care Programme
supported further development based on the lessons learned in the TDP experience
W2W is another example of how political commitment coupled with a European policy
which provides funding opportunities allowed the launch of a pilot and helped to
mainstream the service tested Thanks to the commitment of the Central Government
which is considering the potential inclusion of W2W as a model in the forthcoming Labour
Act the service may be transferred to national level In SDW the Danish Government
the local government and the Danish regions accelerated the digital transformation of
some core services in the healthcare sector and identified a number of projects and
initiatives for wider implementation This was facilitated by the national policy framework
in place Finally A book for a roof was supported politically and financially by the EIFL
Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and subsequent contributions from
various public institutions like the Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) and the Zagreb City
Council
49
524 Simplification and automation facilitate access to services
Generally the adoption of new technologies has simplified access to services and the
automation of processes which were traditionally based on a direct relationship between
providers and users The cases analysed contribute to the evidence base which shows
that the digital transformation of services has led to a reduction of the administrative
burden by offering more channels to deliver services increasing the transparency of
management flows and identifying needs and rights more clearly This transformation
also offers users greater autonomy in their use of the services It also reduces the time
and resources they need to engage with services and generally improves their
perceptions of service quality In the case of INPS this process resulted in a general
improvement of the image of public institutions among citizens cost savings and a more
diversified service offer by shifting resources to front-desk activities The adoption of
innovative technological solutions has been well received in the cases analysed partly
because it offers complementary services to support less technologically advanced users
and thus reduces the risk of digital exclusion This is the case of Pocircle Emploi EKSOTE
SDW and ACTION where the simplification and automation processes were implemented
together and intensive training was given to beneficiaries families and caregivers
Finally PASS shows how a transformative innovation which focused initially on the
simplification of procedures and automation processes radically modified the existing
mechanisms of services provision First the delivery of services to citizens was improved
by ensuring that resources were used effectively reducing duplication and fostering the
cooperation of different agencies to provide a continuum of care In turn this promoted
social responsibility pro-active participation and engagement in local communities
525 Electronic exchange of information enables service integration
The case studies show that a critical success factor for social innovation is the integration
of services at both management and delivery level The centralised provision of secure
information about beneficiary needs rights and benefits received has been crucial to
the integration between different providers This integration has allowed the
restructuring of procedures in a client-pathway approach and the provision of a single
entry point for users Shared information systems facilitate the interactions between
actors at various levels of governance (ie collaboration across multiple levels of
government) which in turn facilitate the cross-disciplinary management of different
social areas Information systems integration was generally achieved through the
implementation of progressive database integration coordinated case management and
exchange of data through multiple channels This process allows a more holistic and
client-centric approach that brings multiple services to bear on client needs In PASS
the information exchange between operators was enabled by a system that provided a
more sophisticated and up-to-date way of collecting key information about homeless
services and service take-up In TDP the sharing of information allowed providers to
mainstream telecare services in a number of local partnerships and to integrate health
and social care organisation in the services delivery INPS is a key example of how the
integration of information and its management resulted in huge and pervasive synergies
among public and private operators This led to a comprehensive redesign of service
management and provision in a more client-centred approach
526 Monitoring implementation is crucial to demonstrate results
Our analysis shows that the presence of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating
results has been an important element for the success of the initiatives analysed These
mechanisms permit the early identification of any concerns about the use of the services
Monitoring tools can check the direction taken during the implementation phase They
can also help to address emerging issues so that corrective measures can be taken to re-
calibrate the intervention to answer needs adequately Customer Relationship
Management tools measure customer satisfaction and capture usersrsquo perceptions with
50
respect to the services offered In some of the cases analysed some internal and
external evaluations were carried out The evidence provided highlighted the value of
collecting data on impacts and outcomes of the initiatives An interesting example in this
respect is W2W which developed a monitoring methodology It connected payments
made to labour agencies by the public authorities to outcomes This model also
implemented more effective and convincing dissemination activities which enhanced
awareness of the benefits of the initiative Furthermore in the BSA case an ICT tool was
used by all professionals and social workers to monitor in real time whether activities
programmed for each beneficiary actually took place This tool was also useful for the
payment system as external providers could use it to issue their bills to the BSA
organization Other relevant examples are CBSS PES and PASS CBSS developed tools
to provide statistics and other relevant information on the performance of the Social
Security system in a more comprehensive centralized way PES launched a methodology
to cluster and measure specific labour market data in order to carry out benchmarking
and ldquowhat ifrdquo analyses PASS developed tools to provide statistics to projects about
individual clients and the work of the project as a whole helping the future service
development plan
53 Evidence of impact on service integration
All the initiatives analysed have significant levels of integration of services
procedures sources of funding etc Most of them have achieved a high degree of
integration in many areas often both at the delivery system level and from an
organizational perspective for example the large scale initiatives such as INPS PES
PASS SDW BSA and TDP All these initiatives have had an impact on the service
management system from the identification of the various needs through production to
the channels of distribution In some cases there has been an impact on the promotion
and funding of the services Hence there is strong evidence for integration at many
different levels and in different areas
Even in those case studies where there seems to be less or no horizontal integration it is
possible to appreciate other forms or types of service integration This is particularly true
in EESTIEE Little Bird and Book for a Roof where the impact has been on a specific
aspect of service management eg administrative funding organizational or delivery
system Funding or administrative integration seems to be common in Continental
countries but less common in Central-Eastern welfare systems In contrast in the
Mediterranean Anglo-Saxon and Nordic groups of initiatives integration seems to
happen mostly at the organizational and delivery system levels
Nevertheless all the initiatives have achieved some level of integration by optimising
procedures and processes and in terms of the relationships with other operators and
stakeholders whose involvement has been redefined Most of the initiatives have
achieved inter-sectoral integration by improving coordination of the different operators
both private and public and a clearer definition of their respective roles in the production
and delivery of services especially through innovative public-private partnerships
Though the role played by the private sector in Mediterranean and Continental welfare
systems is not traditionally very proactive we found most cases of inter-sectoral
integration among these groups of countries For instance private operators participate
strongly and actively in the new service delivery models of INPS BSA Pocircle Emploi and
CBSS The role of private operators is crucial even when the initiative is driven mainly by
the public sector Similarly among the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries initiatives
private organisations (both for profit and not-for-profit) are strongly involved In these
cases (eg TDP and PASS) however they play a much more proactive role in service
design W2W the Polish case which adopted a British experience also falls into this
group
51
In the integration process ICTs are clearly an enabling factor which helps to leverage
the various types of information collected provide more targeted answers to the actual
needs of citizens and support the overall governance of the social services sector The
initiatives analysed show that the use of ICTs can enable intermediary operators social
workers and formal carers to play a central andor leading role thus contributing to
greater involvement of citizens in social services management The role of ICTs as
enabling factor was observed in nearly all the initiatives analysed where thanks to ICTs
volunteers and informal carers are playing a more important role regardless of the
welfare model in which the initiatives take place This suggests that it is a common trait
of all social innovation processes
An overview of the main social innovation elements identified in the 14 cases is
presented in Table 6 This table also shows the targeted beneficiaries and the main type
of integration achieved or pursued for each of the initiatives selected
52
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
A Book for a Roof (Croatia) Homeless people Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production A Book for a Roof invested in the employability and inclusion of the homeless by enhancing their skills improving their self-image and helping them build
self-confidence
Funding A Book for a Roof benefitted from an initial grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and built a
partnership with 8 other partners including the Zagreb Council which allowed gaining financial and operational support
ACTION (Sweden) Family carers and the older people
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production ACTION is a need-driven outcome-oriented production approach which developed a new service delivery system to support frail older people and their carers in their own homes with ICTs
Delivery system The initiative allowed a change in the delivery of services using ICTs to support clients in their families and homes
BSA (Spain) All social andor healthcare services recipients within the BSA territory
Public value allocationor reallocation Badalona City Council triggered the integration of health and social departments and sectors in the Badalona area using a userpatient-centric approach
Service Delivery BSA achieved the full integration of health and social care departments organizational structures service delivery models and funding schemes through an Integrated Care Plan which puts patient and users at the centre of the service production process It is a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and social services delivery
CBSS (Belgium) Social security institutions citizens companies intermediaries
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks The combination of back-office integration and ePortal solution developed through close collaboration among the about 3000 social security institutions in Belgium allowed both cross-sectorial
integration between public and private institutions and vertical integration of national-regional-local administrations
Organizational CBSS fostered an intensive collaboration among different operators and led to the development of a network for electronic information exchange addressing social security service delivery
EESTIEE (Estonia) Citizens foreigners national agencies
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks EESTIEE set up a collaborative innovation network between public agencies and private operators providing information assisting citizens and reshaping the relationships between community and institutions
Administrative EESTIEE fostered a huge administrative and organizational redesign of the public service delivery model and provided users with a unique access point
EKSOTE (Finland) Older people and long-term care patients welfare and social service public providers
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production EKSOTE launched a new need-driven integrated approach which facilitates access to services and increases the transparency of the information management system
Organizational The initiative enabled the organisational integration of the providers and provided a common access point for clients
INPS (Italy) Unions intermediaries employment agencies healthcare professionals and Local Health Units (ASL) municipalities regions citizens
Public value allocationor reallocation The process started with a shift towards a need drivenoutcome oriented service production but led to a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Delivery system The initiative led to a complete redesign of the production process (organisational integration) and structural changes to the delivery system
53
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
Little Bird (Germany) Children and parents Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Little Bird promotes engagement in civil society parents and providers together with other relevant actors are involved in a collaborative innovation network to improve childcare facilities management
Delivery system Little Bird led to a new organizational support that provides childcare social service delivery process tackling the challenge of optimizing the use of resources while supporting both the parents and the municipalities
PASS (Ireland) Homeless people homeless agencies
Public value allocationor reallocation PASS was a revolutionary need-driven outcome-oriented production approach in which outcomes are intended to meet the needs of society or specific groups in society in a sustainable way It led to new public value re-allocation providing systematic information to agencies and operators in the field of homelessness allowing them to better plan and act
Organizational The initiative gave rise to a new organizational model involving public and private operators in the field and redesigned the services production process
PES (Netherlands) Job seekers (with focus also on disabled people) employers people on benefits
Need-drivenoutcome oriented production The PES NL reform is a need-driven ICT enabled initiative implementing the employee insurance scheme addressing unemployment workersrsquo rights maternity and sickness coverage
Organizational PES NL created a real time labour market place improving the matching between labour demand and offer through a new organizational channel
Pocircle Emploi (France) The unemployed job seekers public employment service organisations
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Pocircle Emploi developed a centralised and secure information system for unemployment data in order to become an aggregator of labour market players policies and initiatives
Delivery system Pocircle Emploi allowed extensive data collection and interchange among different operators public and private delivering a new approach for job matching
SWD (Denmark) Welfare benefit recipients
mainly the older people social and health services and education recipients
Public value allocation or reallocation
The strategy focused on digital solutions and means to rethink the service production process and increase service strategy to produce value for money and a better allocation within communities families and among individual with needs
Organisational
The Danish Strategy for Digital Welfare modernised public service production to ensure a more efficient and effective provision of public sector services by accelerating the take-up of ICT in frontline public services
TDP (Scotland) Older people in Scotland suffering from conditions like chronic diseases cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
Public value allocationor reallocation The TDP was a national government initiative implemented in rigorous collaboration with the Scottish national health system which developed an integrated care approach with its own funds and resources It provided a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Organizational The TDP led to structural changes in the entire health care system of Scotland both in terms of organization and funding sources
W2W (Poland) Employment agencies the unemployed
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Express Train to Employment used ICTs to redesign the employment policies and services provision in an integrated way with the cooperation of institutions private operators and job seekers
Organizational Express Train to Employment used ICTs used ICT to enable PPP (public-private partnership) through a technological platform where all the actors could share information update data and co-design unemployed services parameters
Source Internal IESI elaboration
54
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives
541 General overview
Many of the 14 initiatives analysed relate to the key SIP objectives in that that they
often have an impact on the modernisation of social protection system through the
integration of service delivery Some examples are INPS BSA ACTION and Pocircle
Emploi Our analysis suggests that delivery of social protection systems is the main area
of modernisation and that it is where most disruptive innovations are found This is
apparent in the initiatives from the Mediterranean and Continental welfare models where
the public sector has played a central role in service management and delivery However
this role has become unsustainable because of the need to reduce public spending and
the increasing complexity of service demand The Continental modelrsquos centralized
approach to service delivery and the unbalanced way different social needs are met by
public services in the Mediterranean model are both issues which have been targeted by
recent welfare reforms Creative ways to cope with decreasing social spending and the
need to improve efficiency had to be found
Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries are focusing on social inclusion strategies Social
services initiatives in these countries are organised around the individual and hisher
capacity to continue contributing to society This is the case with TDP EKSOTE and
ACTION where social investments are directed at redesigning or reengineering services
in order to improve quality of life The Nordic welfare model rests on principles of
solidarity equality and a universalistic approach to welfare service provision Besides the
provision of fundamental social services to all citizens this model is characterized by
strong community involvement and the search for collaborative solutions to the needs of
very specific categories of people (in the above cases older people) Furthermore the
initiatives belonging to the Anglo-Saxon models though driven by a more liberal
approach to service delivery provide services for social categories which are excluded or
at risk of exclusion This is the case of TDP for older people in Scotland and PASS for the
homeless in Ireland W2W is also a good illustration of this in Poland where the
experience in the UK has been reproduced This shows that experiences from different
welfare models can be adapted and tailored to the circumstances in other welfare
models
Last but not least ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs
at critical moments during their lives seems to be a key target of the Central-Eastern
European initiatives we have analysed In these cases the post-communist approach to
social policies led to a situation in which people relied heavily on welfare policies although
the system was unable to respond adequately to the needs This may explain why
initiatives in this welfare model tend to be small scale or based on the involvement of the
private sector with the help of EU Funds For example of A Book for a Roof targets the
homeless and W2W the unemployed as mentioned above Further initiatives belonging
to the Continental welfare model like CBSS and Little Bird seem to focus mainly on the
needs of people in critical moments in their lives However these have been developed in
the wider context of social investment policies which aim to address wider ranging
problems such as childcare throughout Germany and social security in Belgium
Table 7 below provides an overview of the relationships between the initiatives and the
main SIP objectives
55
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives
Contribution to SIP Objectives
Modernizing social protection systems Spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
Implementing active inclusion strategies Investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the labour market
Investing in individuals throughout their life Ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
A Book for a Roof (Croatia)
A book for a Roof combined employment information management and technology (ICT) training to bring homeless people into the labour market
A book for a Roof helps job seekers improve their skills and boosts their motivation through psycho-social support As a result social protection services are able to respond to homeless people at critical moments in their lives
ACTION (Sweden) ACTION allowed a new approach to services through telematics interventions at home promoting more inclusiveness of older people and their families
BSA (Spain) BSA consisted in a great innovation in the social protection system especially concerning health and social care services since it integrated the two aspects under a unique beneficiary-oriented approach producing savings and improving the quality of services
The main aim of BSArsquos Integrated Care Plan is to empower people especially the older people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at home It also helped improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers
BSArsquos integration initiative was triggered by the need to shift from the older paradigm in the delivery service model to a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of worsening of chronicity and other conditions and following the individuals throughout their entire life also thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as tele-monitoring and telecare
CBSS (Belgium) CBSS provided socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have reduced to a minimum the administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
CBSS fully integrated the work flows of 3000 social security institutions guaranteeing on-line management of the whole processes and a unique and fast access to all social rights and benefits
EESTIEE (Estonia) By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies EESTIEE led to the reshaping of the public model to produce and deliver services with a more effective and centralised approach
EKSOTE (Finland) EKSOTE led to the organizational integration of providers and a common access point for clients enabling a more adequate service provision
EKSOTE provided equal access to social and health care services to all citizens in its region of operation across the boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care processes according to which the same electronic patient record system is used in the health care centres and hospitals of all communities belonging to the organization
INPS (Italy) The process of computerization of services resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
The digitalisation of services changed the paradigm for the delivery service model which shifted towards a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to peoples changing needs
56
Source IESI internal elaboration
Little Bird (Germany)
Little Bird provided a safe and convenient solution in the region it operates in across the boundaries of municipalities for the search for allocation and management of childcare services
Little Bird facilitated equal access to early childhood education through an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services
PASS (Ireland) PASS allowed a better inclusion of homeless people redesigned the production process of services improving the integration opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of this category of fragile people
PASS allowed a better outcome-oriented service production which meets the needs of the homeless and is managed in a centralised and more integrated way
PES (Netherlands)
The initiative allowed to cluster information of the labour market at a macro-level and take into account each regionallocal labour market peculiarities producing more efficient results at all PES levels and better outcomes for job seekers
PES allowed to meet critical employment needs building a real time labour market place enhancing the matching between labour demand and offer
Pocircle Emploi (France)
Pocircle Emploi has established itself as coordinator of French initiatives intermediation and an aggregator of other market players enhancing the effectiveness of the employment support
Pocircle Emploi personalized the employment support services improving the job demand and offer matching and aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations employers or business organizations
SDW (Denmark) SDW accelerated the use of ICT and welfare technology in frontline public service delivery with concrete initiatives speeding up the use of efficient and effective digital and technological solutions in healthcare care for the elderly social services and education
TDP (Scotland) TDP improved the inclusion of older people and
their families investing in the capacity of people suffering from conditions like chronic disease cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
TDP produced a structural change in the entire
health care system of Scotland demonstrating how telecare could contribute to the safety and quality of life of older people while significantly reducing costs of health and social care
W2W (Poland) W2W improved the mechanisms to reduce unemployment rates achieve sustainable employment and established partnerships in order to identify synergies and effective and pervasive solutions
W2Wrsquos centralized management of information flows allowed categorizing the employment needs in order to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in the labour market
57
542 Impact on the modernisation of social protection systems
In order to assess how and to what extent the selected initiatives contribute to the
modernisation of welfare systems we have grouped and analysed them in relation to the
following three key areas of welfare
Social security and employment which includes social assistance social care
employment and employability
Social inclusion and participation which includes social inclusion social
housing civic engagement education and training and childcare
Active healthy ageing and care which includes integrated health and social
care prevention health promotion and rehabilitation independent living
a) Impact of the cases on social security and employment
Out of the 14 initiatives analysed 6 implemented changes in social security and
employment as shown in Table 8 below
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment
Initiatives Summary of impact
INPS (IT) PES (NL)
These two initiatives have transformed employment and the delivery of benefit services to those underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient manner (almost all the services are delivered using digital means) Their revolutionary approach allows more individuals to actively participate interact with the government online giving them the chance to use multiple delivery channels with more convenient timeframes
SDW (DK) CBSS (BE)
Thanks to ICTs CBSS and SDW have built a unique information management model which allows carrying out historical and prospective analyses and therefore improving policies and regulations
W2W (PL) Pocircle Emploi (FR)
W2W and Pocircle Emploi have developed innovative competences and job potential profiling tools based on the use of extensive information which allow better assessing actual needs and thus improving the matching between job seekers and employers
Source IESI internal elaboration
Social security and employment refers to the provision of social services and benefits to
support citizens who are unable to meet their most fundamental needs by themselves
This includes their ability to be active on the labour market and receiving a decent
income which allows them to preserve their dignity
The 6 initiatives that have an impact in this area are citizen-centric and propose radical
changes in the approach to social services design and delivery These are the two key
interrelated elements of a new and more sustainable welfare system These initiatives
trigger a review of the portfolio of services offered in order to adapt them to existing and
upcoming societal challenges and reduce public spending
This can be seen very clearly in the initiatives in the Mediterranean and Continental
welfare models where a trend towards more equitable treatment and more
publicprivate partnerships reveals an important cultural change Nevertheless the
initiatives implemented in the Anglo-Saxon group of countries also show a strong focus
on change for instance with the greater implementation of one-stop-shop approaches
Existing approaches to implementing new models of management of social security
services have been rethought in order to improve critical aspects of existing delivery
systems
58
The issues that these initiatives tackle include
The lack of a systematic and comprehensive vision in the relevant social
services legislation
The fragmentation of the actors and institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the regulation financing and delivery of services
The low level of technological innovation in the management of data and
relevant information
The lack of integration between the institutional players in charge of providing
social services and the beneficiaries
The demand for better quality which requires services to bring true added-
value
Reshaping the way services to citizens are produced managed and distributed is
common to all these initiatives It involves extensive integration mainly within public
administrations but also with private operators and intermediaries Most initiatives in this
cluster are led by public sector actors and focus on a thorough rethinking of the delivery
model which leads to a reengineering of the services alongside a revision of the
governance model
The initiatives represent radicaltransformative innovations which by leveraging on ICTs
modify the existing mechanisms of services provision and lead to a paradigm shift that
reframes the nature of the specific problems to be addressed and their possible solutions
Most of the initiatives focus on changing the service provision paradigm to adopt a more
client-centric approach often through the use of one-stop-shops They all seek to
improve access to services distribute resources more fairly and reduce the
administrative burden on users of the service
In all these initiatives ICTs have contributed strongly to inter-sectoral integration They
foster collaboration between government and service delivery providers in the private or
non-for-profit sectors through the shared use of well-structured technological tools The
new model implemented by the initiatives is based on the development of client
pathways which aim to improve service access ensure greater accountability and
transparency in the system as a whole and allow citizens to have greater control over
information that concerns them
The new service delivery model allows one-stop shop access to services fosters the
modernisation of processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services
and allows the continuous tracking and monitoring of service demand In these cases
ICT-enabled social innovation can act as an enabling factor For example ICTs can help
us obtain a complete and more systematic understanding of social security needs and
support e-learning services Thus they can help to improve the employability of an
individual over time andor to improve the integration of the back offices of
organizations in charge of managing social benefits
In some cases ICTs play a game changing role as they enable the integration of
information from different sources which fulfils profiling needs much more accurately
Thus it is possible to customize the service delivered which optimizes both outcome and
citizen satisfaction By allowing better targeting and identifying beneficiaries more
effectively ICTs play a huge role in increasing the value of interventions and citizensrsquo
trust in government Furthermore ICT-based solutions also support social policy reforms
by promoting active inclusion in the labour market
b) Impact of the cases on social inclusion and participation
Another 4 initiatives out of our case selection focused on social inclusion and participation
as shown in Table 9 overleaf
59
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation
Initiative Summary of impact
Little Bird (DE)
PASS (IE)
Little Bird and PASS use ICTs to enhance the modernisation of
social services from several perspectives amongst others better synchronization of the public and private offer of services greater cost-effectiveness reduction of overbooking of services and at the same time reduction of the negative externalities affecting care givers due to the lack of solutions to reconcile family life social inclusion and wellbeing
A book for a roof (HR)
In A book for a roof ICT courses are used to provide homeless with a wider set of competences and to boost their self-esteem as well as to encourage take-up of available public social services The library created a Resource Centre in the shelter now staffed by homeless people The use of ICT allows focusing on the potential of homeless people and training them to become trainers for other people in need
EESTIEE (EE) In EESTIEE ICTs support citizens by enhancing their access to and use of information and services enabling self-help and reducing dependency from the state giving individuals access to both broader contacts and the local services to which they are entitled
Source IESI internal elaboration
The above social inclusion initiatives mainly target disadvantaged groups or people at risk
(eg the disabled people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in general) These
interventions aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to social inclusion by supporting
individuals They help disadvantaged people reach or maintain a higher level of social
inclusion and dignity while reducing the burden on caregivers In general the needs
addressed in this social policy area derive from a complex set of problems that require
the simultaneous provision of structural solutions and first-aid interventions cutting
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
The initiatives in this cluster offer a set of solutions based on a case-management
approach They focus on the provision of quality information and on helping all operators
involved (public and private) understand analyse and better answer the needs of
excluded people through the use of real-time information technology All the initiatives
analysed improve service delivery thanks to a shared information system This facilitates
the interaction of operators and citizens improves the efficiency of services through
more effective use of resources and less duplication of effort and facilitates the
cooperation of all operators who can work together better to provide a continuum of
care
ICT-enabled social innovations in these cases play several roles They enable services to
improve the cost-effectiveness of the collaboration and coordination of the public and
private actors involved in service delivery processes (in these initiatives those
stakeholders which are more aware of the needs of the vulnerable people play an
important role in partnerships) ICTs also act as game-changers by helping public and
private service providers understand the behaviour of people with needs This in turn
serves to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery
model Moreover ICTs provide stakeholders with new channels of effective
communication and new ways of interacting This also includes the beneficiaries which
increases their opportunities for social inclusion reduces the risk of isolation and
increases the opportunities to contribute to society ICT per se can also be a tool for
inclusion For example A Book for a Roof targets vulnerable people who are also
digitally excluded The lack of digital skills exacerbates existing social disadvantages
(Ellen J Helsper 2008) The initiative is structured around the strong belief that access to
computers the Internet and other forms of technology has a significant impact on these
peoplersquos chances of finding a job or building a social network
60
c) Impact of the cases on active and healthy ageing
The main focus of three of the cases we analysed was active and healthy ageing (see
Table 10 below)
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing
Initiative Summary of impact
TDP (Scotland) EKSOTE (FI) ACTION (SE)
In TDP EKSOTE and ACTION ICTs play a crucial role for monitoring activities (automatic data detention and information about health status) and for real time interactions with beneficiaries providing advisory services at home to prevent adverse events and unplanned hospitalizations The disruptive transformation of the care processes allows home care treatments for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF etc) and ageing patients in general Formal and informal care givers can benefit from using such innovations which promote self-management and empower users in the process of shifting the balance in terms of control and increasing the capacity to live independently at home
BSA (ES) In BSA ICTs allowed building the electronic record that gathers all the documents containing relevant information about the status and progress of a patient during the care process Thanks to the interoperability between information systems it eliminated the duplication of diagnostic tests The result is a tool for professionals which provides updated relevant information to guide them in the decision making process (it is also a useful database accessible from any location and care level) therefore promoting continuity of care and coordination between primary and specialised care IT also fosters the development of telemedicine and telecare services
Source IESI internal elaboration
Consideration of active and healthy ageing and healthcare is crucial in view of the
challenges posed by ageing societies to the current set-up of public services delivery The
IESI research has analysed the themes of ldquoIndependent living for older peoplerdquo
ldquoIntegrated health and social carerdquo and ldquoPrevention health promotion and rehabilitationrdquo
demonstrating the great potential ICT-enabled social innovation has in these fields
The three initiatives analysed here adopt new approaches to public services design and
implementation and follow the recent trends in the efforts made by Member States to
deal with growing societal challenges It has become increasingly difficult to match
service demand and supply adequately and there is constant pressure to achieve greater
cost-effectiveness reduce public expenditures for social services and improve
stakeholder participation in the service delivery process These new initiatives illustrate
the paradigm shift towards more proactive public interventions and social policies They
seem to confirm that the social innovation potential offered by the integration of services
plays an important role in reshaping social relationships and collaboration and in the
redesign of care processes In this context citizens and patients experience significant
changes in their roles and relationships with care professionals service providers care
givers etc
In these cases ICTs can drive the organizational transformation of service delivery The
main advantages of this transformation consist in the building of synergies among
services the avoidance of overlaps and the strengthening of inter-governmental and
inter-sectoral integration among the service providers These factors make management
systems more productive and service delivery processes more efficient ICTs help ensure
the overall sustainability of the service in the long term in line with the SIP objectives
which aim to promote active inclusion with significant savings in care services delivery
The impact on the care system and on care professionals is considerable because
integration can lead to the creation of new services which complement or substitute
existing ones Outcomes in terms of savings can be significant due to better alignment of
resources and needs and a redefinition of the role of public interventions and
professional care
61
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed
This section discusses the sustainability of the initiatives analysed and whether they can
be adopted in other contexts Although this discussion was not an explicit objective in the
analytical framework used for the cross-case analysis it is nevertheless related because
it takes a horizontal perspective on all the variables taken into account in our analysis
and the previous findings In fact the capacity of ICT to promote social innovation and
social investments can be measured in terms of the actual sustainability of an ICT
innovation and to what extent it can be scaled up in different contexts within the same
framework or in entirely new environments At the same time the contribution of ICT to
organizational change and to reshaping service design and delivery processes has a long-
term impact in light of the need to structurally reform social protection systems This
section therefore focuses particularly on the success factors that allow the transfer of
knowledge of the infrastructure and of the funding model to other contexts or to more
complex systems
We consider that our case studies show that the knowledge policies and solutions
developed in good practices can be promoted for wider development implementation and
transferability at a local national or European level Thus they can promote the
modernisation of social protection systems through funding policy leadership and by
fostering stronger cooperation among stakeholders Transferability refers to the potential
maximization of lessons learned from the experiences gained in a local setting or in a
pilot by implementing these experiences (or parts of them) in a wider context be it
geographical or organisational
All the cases analysed were selected for their potential sustainability and ease of wider
replication Nevertheless even though a case seemed to have good potential scalability
transferability always depends on a number of contextual variables which may affect the
actual chances of success in replicating the experience (eg funding political context
regulations etc)
Some of the cases analysed acknowledged this limitation and provided evidence of why
the potential for scaling up remained unexploited This seems to be the case of A Book
for a Roof where the need for resources and financial contributions from other library
networks or municipalities also at a European level was recognised as a barrier to
scaling up The lack of an effective policy at local regional national and EU level which
could push the adoption of ICT-based solutions in healthcare and finally the lack of
funding for large trials which could demonstrate the effectiveness of the services seemed
to be the main barriers to wider implementation of ACTION - even though the service
presented a high level of standardization and could be easily implemented in a wider
context and other EU Member States Only the Borarings municipality decided to make the
ACTION initiative part of its mainstream services for older citizens living at home and
their family carers Wider implementation by other municipalities did not follow mainly
because of the tension between the municipalities yearly budgets and the significant
long-term investment required Policy makers opted for cheaper quick-fix solutions over
services that implied waiting longer for returns An added difficulty is the tendency of
municipalities not to invest in prevention Our analysis shows that a barrier to the wider
implementation of the PASS initiative was its technology PASS relies on a new cloud
technology-based computing system which is not fully available outside Dublin Thus
further development and a specific data strategy would be needed for the initiative to be
replicated at national level or for it to be exported to other EU Member States Finally
PES also experienced difficulties as some of its target users were not sufficiently digitally
skilled or were illiterate and thus excluded from accessing services online (estimated to
be 10 of citizens) In this case the rigidity of the model and the lack of a multi-channel
approach which would allow direct contact or telephone assistance seemed to hinder the
transferability of the initiative It seems that a mix of physical and digital services may be
required as digital services do not allow the inclusion of those who lack digital skills
62
On the other hand some of the cases analysed have already been transferred or will be
scaled up We identified three main groups of successfully transferred practices
Scaling up and transferring activities This is the case of SDW and BSA SDW
scaled up to national level successful projects which had been tested at local level
Out of 25 projects 7 projects will be implemented nationally by 2017 Scaling up
BSA proved to have considerable potential since it allowed external professionals
to work within the integrated care system and private investments to flow in The
initiative mainly relied on the integration of the social and health care
departments This process has been consolidated in Catalonia There were plans
to scale this initiative up to national level as it had been identified and showcased
as a good practice by the Spanish government It could also be transferred to
other countries and has indeed been studied by other international institutions
(such as the University of Udine) The case of EESTIEE is somewhat different
Here there were no plans to develop further functionalities content andor
services in the future release of the gateway However the benefits reaped will be
used to include services from other fields (eg adding notification services in
cooperation with various institutions informing users about this service and
expanding entrepreneur-orientated functionalities) EKSOTE has been considered
a good practice by the Finnish government A law has been passed according to
which all districts in Finland will have to adopt this kind of service model by the
end of 2019 thus the initiative will be scaled up nationwide The piloting system
takes advantage of existing components in social and healthcare sector
organizations which do not require major investments or changes in the
architecture system The existing methodology makes it perfectly possible to
transfer the experience to other European contexts The transferability of some
initiatives has been indirectly confirmed by funding activities for example TDP
organised a number of knowledge dissemination activities and various knowledge
transfer events (conferences workshops etc) in the UK and Europe The
evaluation of the programme was also widely shared electronically It is one of the
good practices in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing for which Scotland was awarded 3 Star Reference Site status Evidence of
its transferability can be seen in the launch of two important programmes jointly
funded by the EC and the Scottish Government (United4Health and SmartCare)
which support people with long-term conditions living in Ayrshire Renfrewshire
and Lanarkshire The objective is to leverage telecare services in these local
communities and to transfer the experiences of Scottish telecare across the EU28
W2W transferred the British W2W experience to the Region of Malopolska where
the model is perfectly replicated The Polish Government is planning to expand the
project to other regions and has devised a new systematic intervention to re-
engineer the social welfare support to the long-term unemployed at a national
level based on the outcomes of W2W
Technology and structural transferability This was the case of Pocircle Emploi that
was scaled up by the agreement signed in December 2014 for 2015-2018 with
the Government and UNEDIC The scale up of the initiative was oriented to
enhance the opportunities offered by the portal in the direction of establishing
itself as the coordinator of French intermediation initiatives and as an aggregator
of other market players The CBSS experience also provides important lessons for
governments that are striving to improve services for the users and especially for
companies by adapting internal and external processes with the help of modern
technologies The CBSS systemrsquos architecture could evolve into a Pan-European
service andor be transferred to other European contexts thanks to its
compliance with international technological standards Little Bird was considered
good practice by another 25 German municipalities which are planning to
implement it Local administrations showed great interest in the initiative because
it helps make significant cost savings In addition all the modules of the solution
are closely integrated which makes it highly adaptable to local requirements Its
63
open software means that this project can be easily scaled up in other
communities cities and countries and evolve to a European level Another
relevant example of technology transferability is the case of INPS which takes
advantage of the ldquomobile erardquo Due to the decisive role that its ICT assets can
play within the Italian public sector the Italian Institute of Social Security (INPS)
is becoming a ldquohubrdquo for Italian institutions not only in employment services but
also in the overall social protection system INPS has invested significantly in ICT
infrastructure in the last decade in order to implement the INPS digitalisation of
services It is now in a position to lead the public inter-operability and information
exchange process The legal framework envisaged for the implementation of the
Public Connectivity System (SPC) which is one of the main pillars of the
implementation of the European Digital Agenda also contributed to this
64
6 Conclusions
61 Key results
611 General contribution from ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives
To sum up it is worth repeating that ICTs do make an important contribution especially
when combined with further elements that through the case studies and the cross-case
analysis have been identified as key drivers of successful ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives
The involvement of beneficiaries in all phases of an initiative (including design
implementation and follow-up) might be enabled by the use of ICTs and in turn it
contributes to exploiting one of the main potential attributes of ICTs ie to support the
development of new relational mechanisms As a consequence the building of
partnerships and stakeholder commitment at different levels (eg to implement or even
jointly finance an initiative) is crucial to take full advantage from the contribution offered
by ICTs especially when the public sector needs to implement a policy targeted to
different types of beneficiaries In particular political commitment and a certain ability to
shape broad policy frameworks are both conducive to the use and development of ICT in
social services The development of monitoring tools alongside an ICT-based innovation
to demonstrate results and facilitate transferability is a further key factor for making an
initiative successful
Moreover it is worth noticing that the contribution ICTs are able to offer is especially
strengthened by clear information exchange and multi-channel approaches This depends
on the fact that such approaches ndash as emerged from the different case studies analysed
ndash are a key enabler of integration ICTs facilitate the sharing of information and enable
the integration of services thus enhancing the impact of social services delivery
As detailed in presenting the case studies and the cross-case analysis it is possible to
appreciate that the contribution of ICTs to integration processes and therefore to the
improvements of social service delivery might assume different shapes
For instance ICTs create client pathways and focus on outcomes they enable a more
targeted and personalized approach that allows clients with complex needs to receive
coordinated services Moreover ICTs provide evidence of demonstrable improvements to
outcomes delivered
ICTs also allow greater coordination between different levels of government which is
essential to improving system integrity and reducing duplication and gaps in service
provision This contribution might have positive consequences also with regard to the
social service provider accountability When the latter is the public sector greater
accountability and transparency mean in turn a contribution in terms of their democratic
legitimacy establishing indeed a closer and trustworthy relationship between itself and
the citizens
In line with the mentioned improvement of the relationships between the public sector
and citizens a further contribution ICTs give to the simplification and an easier take-up
of services needs to be mentioned the consolidation of the one-stop-shopno-stop-shop
approach Through such a way to re-design the access to services users are provided
with a single entry point into social protection systems making of ICTs an important
medium for the institution-citizen relationship
By bringing together stakeholders from public private and not-for-profit sectors in formal
networks ICTs help to address complex social problems through coordinated local level
interventions including resource sharing and joint social investment strategies In other
words the potential of ICTs through partnership creation and network integration
allows offering clients seamless assistance and care
65
Overall ICTs play an important role in the modernization of social protection systems
enhancing social services quality and equal opportunityfair access ICTs are especially
effective with regard several dimensions ICTs can (i) support the process of social
services delivery reform by offering opportunities for open collaboration and
participation (ii) help to fully digitalise processes and improve payment mechanisms
which saves on operational costs and provides benefits (iii) increase the effectiveness of
interventions and reducing social services fragmentation and duplication across
organisations and countries (iv) make social services more proactive and closer to the
point of need by identifying and targeting beneficiaries effectively (v) provide a way of
increasing accountability while transforming and extending service delivery to the
underserved
612 ICT-enabled social innovation contribution to the implementation of the Social Investment Package objectives
The case studies and the cross-case analysis provide useful insights into the factors that
have been critical to an initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social
innovation They also show how these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the
Social Investment Package objectives
a) Modernizing social protection systems spending more effectively and
efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies or departments
many initiatives reshaped the public model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach (EESTIEE) In particular the exploitation of ICTs
resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the
social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
(INPS) The contribution ICTs give to the modernization of social protection system is
often and mainly related to their ability to reduce to a minimum the administrative
burden for citizens companies and civil servants (CBSS)
b) Implementing active inclusion strategies investing in peoples skills and
capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the
labour market
The combination of employment information management and ICT training allows the
redesigning of the production process of services the improvement of integration
opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of fragile people especially into the
labour market (A Book for a Roof W2W ACTION) The integration of services
facilitated by the use of ICTs aims to empower people especially homeless people older
people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at
home or to find job opportunities It also helped improve the quality of life of the
beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers Moreover the equal access to health
and social care services to all citizens in the region of operation across the boundaries of
municipalities directly contributes to strengthening the inclusiveness of social protection
systems and therefore to enhancing peoples opportunities to integrate in society
(EKSOTE TDP)
c) Investing in individuals throughout their life ensuring that social protection
systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
By recognising the importance of skills and active inclusion strategies through psycho-
social support many initiatives succeeded in boosting beneficiaries motivation which
66
responded to their needs at a critical moment in their lives (A Book for a Roof W2W
ACTION) The contribution offered by ICTs often consists of changing the paradigm for
the delivery service model which might shift towards a beneficiary-centric approach
reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to
peoples changing needs (INPS BSA CBSS) The ability to adapt to peoples needs is
achieved by ICTs through personalization of services especially important in the field of
employment support services where it contributes to improving job demand and supply
matching by aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations (Pocircle Emploi PES)
62 Policy implications
Findings from the analysis of case studies allowed us to draw some general policy
implications for policy making at local national and EU level A first set of policy
implications is related to the issue of welfare systems sustainability With regard to this
first dimension the aim is to spot some major social issues in which ICTs might offer an
important support without structural or wider reform attempts A second set of policy
implications is based on the fact that in order to take full advantage of the potential ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives have some contextual and complementary policy
initiatives are needed Finally a third set of policy implications mainly deals with the
needed administrative changes and the required financial support especially in view of a
more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social innovation potential
I Not only are ICTs enabling factors for the modernisation of social protection
systems they can also safeguard the sustainability of welfare systems
themselves
As some of the cases analysed seem to demonstrate for instance CBSS PASS SDW
and BSA ICTs contribute to solving the structural imbalance between emerging and
growing social needs (which require that services be implemented more effectively) and
the decreasing or limited financial resources available to do so
In particular the cross-case analysis shows that ICT-enabled social innovation can help
social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected
by different health and social conditions and require multiple services
Technological advances have made it possible to link information across
programme areas and to identify individuals with complex needs and hence target
them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used
to having access to information and services through web and mobile devices
New digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with
service providers across a range of industries including the social services and
more generally the welfare area
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour
market participation of all members of the working-age population A new wave of
welfare-to-work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments
trying to reduce demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from
finding sustained employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and
demand
Cope with budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to
widespread public sector austerity measures in many developed economies These
pressures mean that service integration and optimisation are becoming
increasingly attractive options for governments looking for higher cost
67
effectiveness in service delivery Allocating higher percentages of resources and
incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated
to the most effective and efficient initiatives They must be scaled up or
transferred to other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics
functionalities allow us to leverage the evidence collected and better allocate
resources on the basis of the specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information
regarding the policy interventions undertaken and its results This data can then
be shared in order to inform policy makers and support the decision making
process to develop or adapt future policies
II Technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for social innovation
and social investment to fully deliver on their promises
As shown in some of the cases ICTs are crucial but sometimes not sufficient to achieve
the expected benefits For ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to fully realise their
potential other enabling factors must come into play
Workforce development the empowerment of workers (eg in care) and job
seekers requires investment in their skills and competences They must also be
given new and flexible ways of participating in the labour market Employers and
public institutions must invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation
working groups They must also envisage staff co-location and develop joint
training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and fill any
skills gaps that may arise This also requires the creation of new roles and a
review of existing jobs in order to adapt them to the changing environment and
the evolving needs of the workforce (see ACTION INPS Digitalization of services
and Pocircle Emploi)
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third
sector providers should be promoted and the development of innovative
initiatives should be facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for
the integration of such practices into actual practices and for scaling up (see TDP
PES NL and EKSOTE)
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms for funding schemes
seem to be efficient in promoting coordinated interventions to address common
and shared social problems in an outcome-oriented approach Other schemes
such as ldquopersonal budgetsrdquo (sums of money allocated by a local authority to
service users to be spent on services to meet their needs) produce effective
incentives because they enable users and case managers to freely purchase the
desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they foster the creation
of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are closer to the
needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms have been implemented in
order to encourage integration and collaboration among different service providers
(see W2W and A Book for a Roof)
III ICTs development and implementation must be combined with re-
engineering of organizational structures so that they can cope with the
innovations This also requires finding resources eg the European
structural funds
Simplification of service procedures through an open-government approach the
increase in information and knowledge exchange and in openness and
transparency provide new opportunities for public administrations to offer user-
68
friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs and the administrative
burden The open government approach can encourage this transformation by
opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration for the design
production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and
decisions enhance transparency accountability and trust in government (see
EESTIEE Little Bird and PES)
Use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 period to
further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector National and regional
authorities are in charge of drafting their Partnership Contracts - Partnership
Agreement with the European Commission which form the basis for delivering ESI
funds These institutions can therefore play a proactive role in both the allocation
of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-financing
requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another (see W2W)
63 Future research
The case studies and the cross-case analysis have helped us identify a number of gaps
that future research could address More systematic collection and publication of
data on relevant initiatives are needed In order to gather as much information as
possible on the identified initiatives and to collect as many relevant opinions and points
of view that could add value to the information gathered through desk research the
research team interviewed relevant stakeholders for each of the selected initiatives
However even though the interviews made it possible to draft in-depth analysis reports
and allowed the research team to better understand the case studies getting in touch
with additional stakeholders would have been desirable Since information is often
difficult to find direct interactions with stakeholders can be the only way to access
relevant and important information on activities performed resources allocated
outcomes achieved barriers encountered and lessons learnt More efforts should go into
making the results of these initiatives public and data (eg on outcomes) should be
more systematically collected Another difficulty faced by the research team is the
breadth of the research field and the limited resources available for developing case
studies which are a time and resource-consuming exercise per se Indeed developing 14
case studies covering 14 different countries has been a challenging exercise which only
gives a snapshot on half the EU Member States In order to obtain a more solid evidence
base greater coverage of the different services and geographical areas would be
desirable This would enhance the validity of the findings in the cross-case analysis A
continuation of this research should perhaps focus on a specific area such as employment
or social inclusion Further initiatives could be identified in that selected area through
country studies each of which would target a given number of initiatives This could be
effectively achieved by involving key informants in the selected countries
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect the direction of future
research Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes
have also been recognised as part of a strategy in support of social policy innovation
initiatives and it could be interesting to explore these further since they could offer the
policy maker new organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business
models effectively contribute to social change
It is important to answer the question of whether social policy innovation strategies
especially those enabled by ICTs can be embedded in the policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other words it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox
69
At the same time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies
will not be the panacea for all welfare state challenges but rather one of the social
protection layers of future welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the
future of welfare systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as
supplementary minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits
schemes
Nevertheless social policy innovation initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an
important role represent an important means of modernising social protection systems
ICTs need to be used as part of a broader strategy designed and led by the public sector
which becomes an even more important actor and will also take on the task of
coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
Thus we suggest that a broader inventory of effective social policy innovation initiatives
should be compiled and researched This would help us answer some of the questions
that emerged from the IESI research and described in this report lsquohow can the public
sector ie the Member States pursue this ambitious taskrsquo lsquowhat kind of tools do
Member States need to harness a multi-layer welfare system of this kindrsquo and
especially lsquowhat type of knowledge do national and supranational policymakers need to
deal with such an important and complex responsibilityrsquo
To address these and others questions the JRC is considering establishing a permanent
online observatory and knowledge platform to monitor and transfer innovative practices
of social policy innovation This platform will focus on social services delivery mechanisms
and welfare governance models
To support this process further data collection and revision of the conceptual and
analytical framework underpinning the IESI research are needed This requires a broader
unit of analysis which can enrich the findings so far and gather and represent the main
features of what the EU Commission has labelled acutesocial policy innovationacute This will also
shape the future research that could become the backbone of a JRC Observatory on
Social Policy Innovation
70
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Clasen J and Clegg D (2011) lsquoThe Transformation of Unemployment Protection in
Europersquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 333ndash45)
Cook (2007) Post-Communist Welfare States Reform Politics in Russia and Eastern
Europe Ithaca New York Cornell University Press
CZ NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Czech Republic
CZ SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Czech Republic
Daly M (2010) lsquoShifts in Family Policy in the UK under New Labourrsquo Journal of
European Social Policy 20(5) 433ndash43
Davidsson JB (2011) Unions in Hard Times Labour Market Politics in Western
Europe Two Patterns of Reform PhD Thesis European University Institute
Florence Italy
Davies N (2011) Retirement Age to Rise to 67 with some Exceptions Reuters
De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) Social investment or recommodification Assessing the
employment policies of the EU member statesrdquo in N Morel B Palier and J Palme
(Ed) Towards a social investment welfare state Policy Press Bristol
DE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Germany
Defourny J ndash Nyssens M (2008) Social Enterprise in Europe Recent Trends and
Developments WP no0801 EMES
Del Pino E Ramos JA and Diaz-Pulido JM (2012) Retrenchment in the Spanish
Welfare State EstudioWorking Paper No 1362012
Derlien H-U and BG Peters (eds) (2008) The State at Work (volume 1)
PublicSector Employment in Ten Western Countries Cheltenham Edward Elgar
pp 222-248
DK NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Denmark
Duman A and Scharle A (2011) Hungary Fiscal Pressures and a Rising Resentment
against the (Idle) Poor in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 232ndash54)
73
EC (2015) Social Investment in Europe A study of national policies ESPN report
prepared by D Bouget H Frazer E Marlier S Sabato and B Vanhercke
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Eichhorst W and Hemerijck A (2010) lsquoWelfare and Employment A European
Dilemmarsquo in Alber J and Gilbert N (eds) United in Diversity Comparing
Social Models in Europe and America Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 201ndash
36)
EIRO (1997) The 1997 Labour Reform in Spain the April Agreements
Eisenstadt S N (1973) Tradition Change and Modernity Cambridge Polity Press
Eklund Hansen A (2003) Barselsorlovens historie i 100 aringr Arbejderbevaeliggelsens
Bibliotek og Arkiv
Epstein M J amp Yuthas K (2014) Measuring and improving social impacts A Guide
for nonprofits companies and impact investors Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Eriksson M Einarsson T amp Wijkstroumlm F (2014) European social innovation policy
framework in light of third sector and civil society actors Report on the FP7
project rsquoImpact of the Third Sector as Social Innovationrsquo (ITSSOIN)
Escobedo A (1999) New Law Promotes Reconciliation of Work and Family Life
Eurofound
Esping-Andersen G (1990) The three worlds of welfare capitalism Princeton New
Jersey Princeton University Press ISBN 9780069028573
Esping-Andersen G (2009) The Incomplete Revolution Adapting to Womenrsquos New
Roles Cambridge Polity
Esping-Andersen G (2010) The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism Oxford Polity
Press
Esping-Andersen G Gallie D Hemerijck A and Myles J (2002) Why We Need a
New Welfare State Oxford Oxford University Press
EU (2013) Guide to Social Innovation Report prepared by DG Regional and Urban
Policy and DG Employment Directorate General of European Commission
European Commission (2010) Second Biennal Report on social services of general
interest Commission Staff Working Document SEC (2010) 1284 final Brussels
EU-SPC (2013) Social Europe Many ways one objective Annual Report of the Social
Protection Committee on the social situation in the European Union
EU-SPC (2014a) Social Protection Performance Monitor (SPPM) dashboard results
Report of the Social Protection Committee on the social situation in the European
Union
EU-SPC (2014b) Review of recent social policy reforms for a fair and competitive
Europe Report of the Social Protection Committee on the social situation in the
European Union
Fagnani J (2011) OECDIFP Project on the Future of Families to 2030 WorkFamily
Life Balance Future Trends and Challenges OECD
Ferrera M A Hemerijck and M Rhodes (2000) The Future of Social Europe Recasting
Work and Welfare in the New Economy Report prepared for the Portuguese
Presidency of the EU Oeiras Celta Editora
Ferrera M and Hemerijk A (2003) lsquoRecalibrating Europersquos Welfare Regimesrsquo in
Zeitlin J and Trubek DB (eds) Governing Work and Welfare in the New
Economy European and American Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
(pp 88-128)
74
Ferrera M and Jessoula M (2007) lsquoItaly A Narrow Gate for Path-Shiftlsquo in Immergut
EM Anderson KM and Schulze I (eds) The Handbook of West European
Pension Politics Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 396ndash453)
Ferrera M Maino F (2014) Social Innovation Beyond the State Italyrsquos Second
Welfare in a European Perspective 2WEL - Social Innovation Beyond the State
2014
Ferrera M and Gualmini E (2000) lsquoReforms Guided by Consensus The Welfare State
in Italian Transitionrsquo West European Politics 23(2) pp 187ndash208
Fimreite A L Flo Y Selle P Tranvik T (2007) Naringr sektorbaringndene brytes
Utfordringer for den norske velferdsmodellen I Tidsskrift for Samfunnsforskning
48 2 pp 165-96
Fleckenstein T (2011) lsquoThe Politics of Ideas in Welfare State Transformation Christian
Democracy and the Reform of Family Policy in Germanyrsquo Social Politics
International Studies in Gender State amp Society 18(4) 543ndash71
Flynn N (2002) lsquoExplaining the New Public Management The importance of contextrsquo in
K McLaughlin SP Osborne amp E Ferlie eds New Public Management Current
Trends and Future Prospects Routledge London and New York
Foumlrster MF and Toacuteth IG (2001) lsquoChild Poverty and Family Transfers in the Czech
Republic Hungary and Polandrsquo Journal of European Social Policy 11(4) pp
324ndash41
Fultz E and Ruck M (2001) lsquoPension Reform in Central and Eastern Europe
Emerging Issues and Patternsrsquo International Labour Review 140(1) 19ndash43
Giddens A (1998) Duacutesledky modernity (The Consequences of Modernity) Praha
Slon
Gioldsmith S (2010) The power of Social Innovation How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite
Community netwoks for Good Jossey-Bass Books
Glasby J Dickinson H and Smith J (2010) Creating NHS local the relationship
between English local government and the NHS Social Policy and Administration
44(3) 244-264
Goul Andersen J (2007) lsquoThe Danish Welfare State as lsquoPolitics for Marketsrsquo Combining
Equality and Competitiveness in a Global Economyrsquo New Political Economy
12(1) 71ndash8
Goul Andersen J (2011) lsquoDenmark Ambiguous Modernisation of an Inclusive
Unemployment Protection Systemrsquo Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating
the Risk of Unemployment Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 187ndash207)
Graziano PR and Winkler J (2012) Governance and Implementation of Activation
Policies Czech Republic and Italy Compared International Journal of Sociology
and Social Policy 32(56) 340ndash52
Greve B (2002) Vouchers Nye styrings- og leveringsmaringder i velfaeligrdsstaten
Koslashbenhavn DJOslashFrsquos forlag
Grossi G G Marcou and Ch Reichard (2010) ldquoComparative aspects of institutional
variants for local public service provisionrdquo in Wollman H And GMarcou The
Provision of Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and
Market Edward Elgar UKUSA pp 217-23
Gruening G (2001) Origin and theoretical basis of New Public Management
International Public Management Journal 41ndash25
Guilleacuten AM and Matsaganis M (2000) lsquoTesting the ldquoSocial Dumpingrdquo Hypothesis in
Southern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 10(2) 120ndash45
75
Guilleacuten AM Aacutelvarez S and P Adatildeo E Silva (2003) lsquoRedesigning the Spanish and
Portuguese Welfare States The Impact of Accession into the European Unionrsquo
South European Society and Politics 8(1ndash2) 231ndash68
Guthrie J (1998) Application of accrual accounting in the Australian public sector mdash
rhetoric or realityrsquo Financial Accountability and Management 141ndash 19
Haggard S and Kaufman R (2008) Development Democracy and Welfare States
Princeton Princeton University Press
Hardt A (2013) Wie Vereine von Ganztagsschulen profitieren in ldquoHamburger
Abendblattrdquo 4 October
Hartz Commission (2002) Modern Services on the Labour Market Report of the
Commission Berlin Federal Ministry for Employment and Economic Affairs
Haumlusermann S (2010) The politics of welfare state reform in continental Europe
modernisation in hard times Cambridge University Press
Hautamaki A (2010) Sustainable Innovation A Next Age of Innovation and Finland s
Innovation Policy Helsinki SITRA
Hay C (2004) lsquoCommon Trajectories Variable Paces Divergent Outcomes Models of
European Capitalism under Conditions of Complex Economic Interdependencersquo
Review of International Political Economy 11(2) 231ndash62
Hemerijck A (2013a) Changing Welfare States Oxford Oxford University Press
Hemerijck A (2013b) 21st Century European Social Investment Imperatives Paper
presented at ldquothe Social Justice Ireland Policy Conferencerdquo on 19 November
2013
Hemerijck A and Marx I (2010) Continental Welfare at a Crossroads The Choice
between Activation and Minimum Income Protection in Belgium and the
Netherlands in Palier B (ed) A long goodbye to Bismarck The politics of
welfare reform in continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
(pp 129-55)
Hemerijck A and Sleegers P (2007) lsquoThe Netherlands Social and Economic
Normalization in an Era of European Union Controversyrsquo in Kvist J and Saari J
(eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol Policy (pp 175ndash94)
Hemerijck A Draumlbing V Vis B Nelson M Soentken M (2013) European Welfare
States in Motion NEUJOBS Working Paper NO D52 March 2013
Henriksen LS and Bundesen P (2004) The moving frontier in Denmark Voluntary-
state relationships since 1850 in ldquoJournal of Social Policyrdquo Vol 33 no 4 pp
601ndash621
Hood C (1991) A public management for all seasons Public Administration 693ndash19
Hood C (1995) Emerging issues in public administration Public Administration
73165ndash83
Houwing H (2010) A Dutch Approach to Flexicurity Negotiated Change in the
Organization of Temporary Work Amsterdam University of Amsterdam
Hubert A et al (2010) Empowering people driving change Social innovation in the
European Union EC Brussels
Hubert A Carvalho DdG amp Goudin P (2014) Social Innovation a Decade of
Changes BEPA report prepared for the European Commisison
IE NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash Ireland
ILO (International Labour Organization) (1952) C102 ndash Convention (No 102) Social
Security (Minimum Standards) (Geneva ILO)
76
Immergut E Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) (2007) The Handbook of Pension
Politics in Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press
Inglot T (2008) Welfare States in East Central Europe 1919ndash2004 Cambridge
Cambridge University Press
Irish Government (2006) National Report for Ireland on Strategies for Social Protection
and Social Inclusion Dublin Stationery Office
ISSA (2014) Social Security Programs Throughout the World Europe SSA Publication
No 13-11801
ISSA (2013) Europe Enhancing the sustainability of comprehensive social security
systems Edited by International Social Security Association Geneva
Jensen C (2008) ldquoWorlds of welfare services and transfersrdquo Journal of European
Social Policy 18 151 pp 151-162
Jessoula M and Alti T (2010) ldquoItaly An Uncompleted Departure from Bismarckrdquo in B
Palier (ed) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare Reform in
Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Jessoula M and Vesan P (2011) lsquoItaly Limited Adaptation of an Atypical Systemrsquo in
Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National
Adaptations to Post-Industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford
University Press (pp 142-64)
Kangas O (2007) lsquoFinland Labour Markets Against Politicsrsquo in Immergut E
Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) The Handbook of Pension Politics in
Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 248-96)
Kangas O Lundberg U and Ploug N (2006) lsquoThree Routes to a Pension Reform
Politics and Institutions in Reforming Pensions in Denmark Finland and
Swedenrsquo Arbetsrapport 10 Stockholm Institute for Futures Studies
Kautto M (2002) ldquoInvesting in services in West European welfare statesrdquo Journal of
European Social Policy 12 1 pp 53-65
KELLY G amp MUERS S (2002) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical framework for
publicservice reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
KELLY G MULGAN G amp MUERS S (2004) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical
frameworkfor public service reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
Keune M (2006) lsquoThe European Social Model and Enlargementrsquo in Jepsen M and
Serrano A(eds) Unwrapping the European Social Model Bristol Policy (pp
167ndash188)
King D (1995) Actively Seeking Work The Politics of Unemployment and Welfare
Policy in the United States and Great Britain Chicago University of Chicago
Press
Koumlhler P Thoreacuten K and Ulmestig R (2008) Activation Policies in Sweden
lsquoSomething Old Something New Something Borrowed and Something Bluersquo in
Eichhorst W KonleSeidl R and Kaufmann O (eds) Activating Labour Market
Policy A Comparative Study Berlin Springer Academic Publishers
Korthouwer GHP (2010) Party Politics as we Knew It Failure to Dominate
Government Intraparty Dynamics and Welfare Reforms in Continental Europe
Oisterwijk Uitgeverij BOXPress
KPMG International (2012) Leading practices in the human and social services sector
77
KPMG International (2013a) Future State 2030 The Global Megatrends shaping
governments
KPMG International (2013b) The Integration Imperative reshaping the delivery of
human and social services
KPMG International (2014) What works Creating new value with patients carers and
communities
KPMG International (2014) ldquoA new vision of value ndash Connecting corporate and societal
value creationrdquo
KPMG International (2014) Netherlands Buurtzorg empowered nurses focus on patient
value in KPMG International (Ed) Value walks Successful habits for improving
workforce motivation and productivity pp 20- 24
Kubicek K amp Hagen M (2001) One-stop-government in Europe An overview
Bremen University of Bremen
Kuhlman S and P Fedele (2010) ldquoNew public management in continental Europe
local government medernalization in Germany France and Italy from a
comparative perspectiverdquo in Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) The Provision of
Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and Market
Cheltenham Edward Elgar
Lapsley I (1999) Accounting and the New Public Management Instruments of
substantive efficiency or a rationalising modernityrsquo Financial Accountability and
Management 15201ndash7
Lapsley I (2001) Accounting organization and the statersquo Financial Accountability and
Management 17299ndash 302
Larsen CA and Andersen JG (2009) lsquoHow New Economic Ideas Changed the Danish
Welfare State The Case of Neoliberal Ideas and Highly Organized Social
Democratic Interestsrsquo Governance An International Journal of Policy
Administration and Institutions 22(2) pp 239ndash61
laville J-L (2007) L eacuteconomie solidaire Une perspective Internationale Paris
Hachette Litteacuteratures
Lubelcovaacute G (2012) ldquoSocial innovations in the context of modernisationrdquo Socioloacutegia-
Slovak Sociological Review (3) 291-313
Maino F (2013) Tra nuovi bisogni e vincoli di bilancio protagonisti risorse
innovazione sociale in F Maino and M Ferrera (Eds) Primo rapporto sul
secondo welfare in Italia 2013 Torino Centro Ricerca e Documentazione Ricerca
Luigi Einaudi pp 17-46
Marmot M Allen J Bell R Bloomer E amp Goldblatt P (2012) WHO European
review of social determinants of health and the health divide The
Lancet 380(9846) 1011-1029
McSweeney B (1994) Management by accounting in A Hopwood amp P Miller eds
Accounting as Social and Institutional Practice An Introduction Cambridge
University Press
Misuraca G et al (2011) Interoperability Challenges for ICT-enabled Governance
Towards a pan-European Conceptual Framework J Theor Appl Electron
Commer Res ISSN 0718ndash1876 Electron Version 6 1 95ndash111
Misuraca G et al (2013) From Practice to Theory and back to Practice Reflexivity in
Measurement and Evaluation for Evidence-based Policy Making in the
Information Society Gov Inf Q 30 Supple S68ndashS82
Misuraca G et al (2015) ICT-Enabled Social Innovation in support of the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
78
Misuraca G(2012) ldquoAssessing ICT-enabled innovation for governance and policy
makingrdquo PhD Thesis - College of Management and Technology EPFL Lausanne
Switzerland EPFL Switzerland
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Digital Governance in the Public Sector challenging
the Policy-Makerrsquos innovation dilemma 8th International Conference on Theory
and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2014)
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Is Open Data Enough E-Governance Challenges for
Open Government Int J Electron Gov Res 10 1 19ndash36
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2015) Shaping public sector innovation theory an
interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation Electron
Commer Res 1ndash20
Molina O (2011) ldquoPolicy Concertation Trade Unions and the Transformation of the
Spanish Welfare Staterdquo en Guilleacuten AM Leoacuten M (eds) The Spanish Welfare
State in European Context Ashgate Farnham pp77-96
Montero A van Duijn S Zonneveld N Minkman M Nies H (2016) Integrated
Social Services in Europe European Social Network Brighton
Moore MH Creating public value strategic management in government Harvard
University Press Cambridge Mass (1995)
Morel N (2007) lsquoFrom Subsidiarity to lsquoFree Choicersquo Child‐ and Elder‐care Policy
Reforms in France Belgium Germany and the Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy amp
Administration 41(6) 618ndash37
Morel N Palier B amp Palme J (2012) Towards a social investment welfare state
ideas policies and challenges Policy Press
Mulgan G (2007) Social Innovation What it is why it matters and how it can be
accelerated London Young Foundation
Mulgan G (2009) The art of Public Strategy Mobilizing Power and Knowledge for the
Common Good Oxford
Mu ller K (2002) lsquoBeyond Privatization Pension Reform in the Czech Republic and
SloveniarsquoJournal of European Social Policy 12(4) 293ndash306
Munday B (2003) European Social Services A Map of Characteristics Report prepared
for the Council of Europe
Murphy M (2007) lsquoThe Emerging Irish Workfare State and Its Implications for Local
Developmentrsquo in Taming the Tiger Social Exclusion in a Globalised Ireland
Dublin TASC A Think Tank for action on Social Change (pp 85ndash112)
Murphy M (2008) lsquoIdeas Interests and Institutions Explaining Irish Social Security
Policyrsquo Combat Poverty Agency Research Working Paper 0808
Murphy-Lawless J (2000) lsquoChanging Womenrsquos Lives Child Care Policy in Irelandrsquo
Feminist Economics 6(1) 89ndash94
Natali D Pavolini E (2014) Prowelfare Providing welfare through social dialogue A
new role for social partners Executive Summary Results of the comparative
analysis of Voluntary Occupational Welfare
ND NSR (2014) National Social Report 2015 ndash Netherlands
Nelson H (2008) ldquoPublic employment and multilevel governance in unitary and federal
systemsrdquo in H-U Derlien and BG Peters (eds) The State at Work (volume 2)
Comparative Public Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar 33-64
Nelson M (2012) lsquoMaking Markets with Active Labor Market Policies the Influence of
Political Parties Welfare State Regimes and Economic Change on Spending on
Different Types of Policiesrsquo European Political Science Review
79
Nesporova A (1999) Employment and Labour Market Policies in Transition Economies
GenevaILO
Nikolai (2012) Towards social investment Patterns of public policy in the OECD worldrdquo
in N
Noumllke A and Vliegenthart A (2009) lsquoEnlarging the Varieties of Capitalism The
Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europersquo World
Politics 61 670ndash702
OECD (1997) Managing Across Levels of Government Part One Overview Paris
OECD (2005) Pensions at a Glance Public Policies across OECD Countries Paris OECD
OECD (2014) Society at a Glance 2014 OECD Social Indicators OECD Publishing
Olson O J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds (1998) Global Warning mdash Debating International
Developments in New Public Financial Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag
Bergen Norway
Orenstein M (1994) The Political Success of Neo-Liberalism in the Czech Republic
CERGE-EI Working Paper Series 68
Oslashsterud Oslashyvind and Per Selle (2006) Power and Democracy in Norway The
Transformation of Norwegian Politics In Scandinavian Political Studies 29 1 pp
25- 46
Palier B (ed) (2010) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare State
Reform in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Pallot J (1999) The New Zealand revolution in O Olson J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds
Global Warning mdash Debating International Developments in New Public Financial
Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag Bergen Norway 156ndash84
Pallot J (2000) Experimenting in the Antipodes Long Term Financial Planning in New
Zealand Local Government EIASM International Conference on Accounting
Auditing and Management in Public Sector Reforms Zaragoza Spain
Palme J (2005) Features of the Swedish Pension Reform The Japanese Journal of
Social Security Policy 4(1) 42ndash53
Peters B G (2008) ldquoRegional government and public employmentrdquo in H-U Derlien
and BG Peters BG (eds) The State at Work (volume 2) Comparative Public
Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar pp 65-76
Phillis J A Deiglmeier K ndash Miller D T 2008 Rediscovering Social Innovation In
Stanford Social Innovation Review fall 2008 (wwwssirevieworgarticlesentry)
Phills J A (2009) Rediscovery social innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review
Pisano U Lange L and Berger G (2015) Social Innovation in Europe an overview
of the concept of social innovation in the context of European Initiatives and
practices ESDN Quarterly Report ndeg36 Report prepared by the Institute for
Managing Sustainability of Vianna University of Economy and Business
PL NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Poland
PL SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Poland
Plantenga J Remery C and Takacs J (2012) lsquoPublic Support to Young Families in
the European Unionrsquo in Work Family Policies and Transitions to Adulthood in
Europe Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Pollitt C amp H Summa (1997) Trajectories of reform Public management change in four
countries Public Money amp Management Jan-March7ndash18
Pollitt C Bouckaert G (2000) Public Management Reform A Comparative Analysis
Oxford University Press Oxford
80
Pollitt Christopher (2003) The essential public manager Berkshire Open University
Press
Porter M E amp Kramer M R (2011) Creating shared value Harvard business
review 89(12) 62-77
Potucek M (2007) lsquoThe Czech Republic Tradition Compatible with Modernisation in
Kvist J and Saari J (eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol
Policy Press (pp 137ndash52)
Rhodes M (2000) lsquoRestructuring the British Welfare State Between Domestic
Constraints and Global Imperativesrsquo in Scharpf FW and Schmidt VA (eds)
Welfare and Work in the Open Economy Oxford Oxford University Press (pp
19ndash68)
Russell H OrsquoConnell PJ and McGinnity F (2007) lsquoThe Impact of Flexible Working
Arrangements on Work-Life Conflict and Work Pressure in Irelandrsquo Economic and
Social Research Institute Working Paper
Sacchi S and Bastagli F (2005) lsquoItaly Striving Uphill but Stopping Halfwayrsquo in
Ferrera M (ed) Welfare State Reform In Southern Europe Fighting Poverty
and Social Exclusion In Italy Spain Portugal and Greece London Routledge
(pp 84ndash140)
Sapir A (2006) Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models JCMS
Journal of Common Market Studies Volume 44 Issue 2 pages 369ndash390 June
2006
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2007) lsquoRe-familisation of the Czech Family Policy and Its
Causesrsquo International Review of Sociology 17(2) 319ndash41
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2009) lsquoNeo‐liberalism by Decay The Evolution of the
Czech Welfare Statersquo Social Policy amp Administration 43(2) 186ndash203
Schludi M (2005) The Reform of Biskmarckian Pension System Amsterdam
Amsterdam University Press
Schmidt VV (2002) lsquoDoes Discourse Matter in the Politics of Welfare State
Adjustmentlsquo Comparative Political Studies 35(2) 168ndash93
SE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Sweden
Sirovaacutetka T Hora O (2011) lsquoThe Czech Republic -Activation Diversification and
Marginalisationrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 255ndash77)
Sivesind KH (2014) The changing role of private and nonprofit welfare provision in
Norway Sweden and Denmark and consequences for the Scandinavian model
Paper for the 12th Annual ESPAnet Conference Oslo 4-6 September 2014
Sjoumlberg O (2011) lsquoSweden - Ambivalent Adjustmentrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D
(eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-
industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 208ndash
31)
Sotiropoulos D amp Bourikos D (2014) Economic Crisis Social Solidarity and the
Voluntary Sector in Greece Journal of Power Politics amp Governance Vol 2 No
2 pp 33-53
Spear R Defourny J Faverou L Laville JL (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in
Europe The Contribution of The Social Economy Aldershot Ashgate
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
81
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Szelewa D Polakowski MP (2008) lsquoWho Cares Changing Patterns of Childcare in
Central and Eastern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 18(2) 115ndash31
Taylor G (2005) Negotiated Governance and Public Policy in Ireland Manchester
Manchester University Press
Toharia L and Malo MA (2000) lsquoThe Spanish Experiment Pros and Cons of
Flexibility at the Marginrsquo in Esping-Andersen G and Regini M (eds) Why
Deregulate Labour Markets Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 307ndash36)
Torfing J (1999) lsquoWorkfare With Welfare Recent Reforms of the Danish Welfare
Statersquo Journal of European Social Policy 9(1) pp 5ndash28
Torres L (2004) Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental
countries Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 63 Issue 3 pages
99ndash112 September 2004
Trampusch C (2009) Der erschoumlpfte Sozialstaat Transformation eines Politikfeldes
Frankfurt Campus
UK NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash United Kingdom
Valentova M (2012) lsquoEmployment Breaks due to Childcare in The Czech Republic
Before and After 1989rsquo Work Employment and Society 26(2) 266-81
Van Berkel R de Graaf W and Sirovaacutetka T (eds) (2011) The Governance of
Welfare States in Europe Houndmills Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan
Van Hooren F and Becker U (2012) lsquoOne Welfare State Two Care Regimes
Understanding Developments in Child and Elderly Care Policies in the
Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy and Administration 46 (1) 83-107
Van Oorschot W (2004) Balancing work and welfare activation and flexicurity policies
in The Netherlands 1980ndash2000 International Journal of Social Welfare Volume
13 Issue 1 pages 15ndash27 January 2004
Večerniacutek J (2008) Social Policy in the Czech ldquoRepublicrdquo The Past and the Future of
Reforms East European Politics amp Society 22(3) 496-517
Visser J (2002) lsquoThe First Part-time Economy in the World a Model to Be Followedrsquo
Journal of European Social Policy 12(1) 23ndash42
Visser J and Hemerijck A (1997) A Dutch Miracle Job Growth Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wall K (2009) lsquoPortugal and Spain Two Pathways in Southern Europersquo in Kamerman
SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies Children
Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp 207ndash26)
Weishaupt JT (2010) lsquoA Silent Revolution New Management Ideas and the
Reinvention of European Public Employment Servicesrsquo Socio-Economic Review
8(3) 461ndash86
Weishaupt JT (2011) From the Manpower Revolution to the Activation Paradigm
Explaining Institutional Continuity and Change in an Integrating Europe
Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wolk A Kreitz K (2008) Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact A Social-
Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social problems Cambridge Root Cause
Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) (2010b) The Provision of Public Services in Europe
Between State Local Government and Market Cheltenham Edward Elgar
82
Young R (2008) Social Value and the Future of Social Entrepreneurship In Social
Entrepreneurship New Models of Sustainable Social Change Oxford Oxford
University Press 2008
Zeitlin J (2003) Introduction Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy
European and American Experiments in Zeitlin J and Trubek D (eds)
Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy European and American
Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
List of web sites and repositories investigated
Web sites related to social sciences like H-Net Academiaedu Social Science Space
Social Science Research Social Science Statistics Center for Philosophy of Natural
and Social Science
Repository libraries related to social sciences like Social Science Open Access
Repository Economic and Social Research Council Social Sciences Health and
Education Library European Social Innovation Research
Universities related to social sciences like
TU-Dortmund (httpwwwwisotu-dortmunddewisodefakultaet) University of
Helsinki (httpstuhathalvihelsinkifiportalenpublicationssearchhtml)
University of Glasgow (httpeprintsglaacuk ) European University Institute
(httpcadmuseuieu ) Humboldt Universitaumlt Berlin (httpwww2hu-
berlindeforschungfdb )
Member States websites related to the Social Protection Systems
World Health Organization web site
London school of economics web site
DG EMPL website
EU Bookshop
Website of Institutions that promote awards to worthy initiatives (ie European Public
Sector Award - EPSA)
Professional human resources web sites like wwwhrcom in which it is possible to find
information focusing on major employment issues
Database of the European Association Working for Carers httpeurocarersorg
(httpeurocarersorgcarictindex2phptask=projectsamporder=nameampdir=ASCampd
b=2ampkeyword=independent+living )
The web and the blog spheres by searching for basic expressions related to the topic of
interest in traditional search engines (Google Bing etc) and investigating
targeted information gathering portals
Other sources of information related to the topics of analysis such as
KPMG Professional Network and the Centre of Excellence
Interaction with the Advisory Group
The Annual Growth Survey 2015 edited by the European Community
The Jointly Employment Report 2015 edited by the European Community
83
List of abbreviations and definitions
JRC Joint Research Centre
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
ICT Information and Communication Technology
PSSGI Personal Social Services of General Interest
SIP Social Investment Package
SI Social Innovation
DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
IESI ICT enabled Social Innovation in support to the Implementation of the
Social Investment Package
EU European Union
SPC Social Protection Commitee
SPPM Social Protection Performance Monitor
GDP Gross Domestic Product
COM
PSS Personal Social Services
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CVD Cardiovascular Disease
HF Heart Failure
BEPA
EPSA European Public Sector Award
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
84
List of tables
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems 17
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops 26
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation 32
Table 4 Selected Case Studies 33
Table 5 Social services addressed35
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration 52
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives 55
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment 57
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation 59
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing 60
85
List of figures
Figure 1 Research Design 9
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology 13
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework 13
Figure 4 Analytical framework 14
Figure 5 The integration continuum 22
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation 23
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments 27
Figure 8 Geographical distribution 34
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services 36
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map 36
86
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies
A BOOK FOR A
ROOF (ABFR)
ZAGREB CITY LIBRARIES
Country Croatia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 400
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production
Sustainedorganisational innovation
Open process of co-
creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is seen as a new threat in most Croatian cities as it was largely ignored by policy makers until the Social Welfare Act in 2012 Since then several stakeholders ndash public and local government authorities trade unions employers and civil society organizationsrsquo representatives ndash have been involved in the drafting of the Strategy for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion in Croatia (2014-2020) One of the objectives in this strategy was to elaborate guidance on the necessary actions to improve care services for homeless The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has carried out a new plan - Consolidated Plan for the Care of the Homeless Persons during Extreme Winter Weather Conditionsrsquo - to implement specific actions that will allow a better provision of social services for
homeless The plan was the result of a multi-governance
87
collaboration between the national level large towns
municipalities homes for the elderly and the infirm and homes for mentally ill adults Its aim was to secure better data from the local authorities in order to plan effectively the availability of an adequate number of temporary structures as well as other services to help homeless people during the coldest months of the year
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) a network of public libraries that serves Zagreb and Zagreb County works with homeless people to increase their employability and build their self-image and confidence13
Aim of the initiative The overall aim of A Book for A Roof was to help the network of ZCL to develop a set of activities that through the medium of ICTs could provide employability and build positive self-imagine and confidence into the homeless living in the city Supporting homeless people to become more engaged and
proactive in the labour market
Overcoming the prejudices and preconceptions about the homeless in libraries Improving the life chances of homeless individuals Building the self-image of one of the cityrsquos most complex socially excluded groups Aiding homeless individuals to secure a future throughout
investing on strong partnership
Financial Model After the initial first year grant in 2011 provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries the project survived thanks to the help of different partners such as other homeless shelters within the city the Voluntary Centers local authorities and stakeholders involved into the project after the positive achievements realized
during the first years of activity One of these stakeholders was the Zagreb City Council that in 2012 granted 10000 Kunas (euro1300) to help evolving and expanding the main goals of this
initiative
Results Creation of a new network of public private and non-profit actors which for the first time actively helped each other to produce
social inclusion for homeless bull Raised awareness on the homelessness issue through
conferences workshops and media coverage bull 22 homeless among the 63 who used ICT trainings during
20112012 found a job bull The library trained 17 volunteers to provide ICT and job-seeking
training to the homeless
Role of ICTs The A Book for a Roof initiative depends mainly on the use of ICT to accomplish its main goals The role of ICTs in promoting social innovation is based on the empowering effect that enabling technologies have for the homelessICT courses include using the Internet to seek for
employment applying for jobs online and enhance homeless
individuals likelihood to (re)-engage with the job market This is coupled with job application training motivation and counseling and takes place in the library where homeless citizens feel more comfortable and safe
Lessons learned bull The initiative can be deemed sustainable because of its limited
costs however as it relies on donations constant disseminationinformation activity is necessary to keep high social awareness around the issue of homelessness
bull The need for resources and financial contributions from other library networks or municipalities can be a barrier to scaling up
bull Other parts of Croatia have started offering similar services
Key Informants Sanja Bunic Project Manager Zagreb City Libraries
Danijel Vuga House of Hope Shelter
88
CROSSROAD
BANK FOR
SOCIAL
SECURITY
(CBSS)
Country Belgium
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group socially insured personscompanies
Target people reached 11000000
Main PSSGI Social care social assistance
Started in 2002
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential
Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background More than two decades ago the Belgian administration carried out an in depth analysis on the functioning of social security delivery processes showing that bull The organization of the business processes of the social security
institutions presented a lack of customer orientation and was not at all harmonized across the different social security institutions
bull There was a lack of standardization in the paper forms used by each institution for collecting information from the customers
bull There was no exchange of information across institutions with
the consequence of a duplication of information bull The socially insured persons and their employers had
themselves to look for their rights throughout the social security system and could not count on the automatic granting of all
89
rights on the basis of one declaration
To address the issues 13 years ago the Belgian social security institute started developing a coordinated information management program generating Crossroad Bank for Social Security This allowed the creation of a permanent and inter-operable social security network among all 3000 social security institutions in Belgium
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Electronic data exchange between citizens and social security institutions
Aim of the initiative The overall objective of Crossroad Bank for Social Security is to provide socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have a minimum level of administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
bull The key objective of the back office was to re-organize all
processes and relationships with each social security institutions and between all 3000 social security institutions
bull With regard to the front office it was re-organized in order to deliver integrated electronic services to the target groups (socially insured persons companies intermediaries etc) in a personalized way via an access method (eg application to
application file transfer portal) chosen by the user
Financial Model The annual cost of CBSS (its network and services as well as its 90 employees) equals to 17 million euro The cost is financed by a withholding on the social security contribution paid by the employers the employee and the self-employed before the
distribution of these contributions to the social security sectors There is no direct charge for the actors in the social security sector
Results bull Significant reduction of administrative burden for workers
thanks to CBSS only 2 (out of 120) declarations have to be
done directly by the individual
bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for CBSS in relation to total cost of delivery
bull Still more important than the efficiency gains are probably the gains in terms of service effectiveness
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the Social Protection system in terms of quality of services as well as the overall systems sustainability
Role of ICTs CBSS is conceived as a brand new ICT architecture with 5 main distinctive characteristics bull Information modelling bull Unique collection and re-use of information bull Management of information
bull Electronic exchange of information bull Protection of information
Lessons learned bull CBSS has already existed for already 25 years which is itself
evidence of sustainability bull CBSS fostered the development of a coherent legal framework bull CBSS has been asked to reuse the same model in the health
sector for pharmacies practitioners hospital care etc This same model was copied applied in other countries as well especially after receiving the many awards given to CBSS such as the UN award in 2006 For example Argentina copied the model
bull Key success factor is the sufficient financial support made
available for the implementation of CBSS
Key Informants Frank Robben General manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security National Office for Social Security Belgium
90
EESTIEE
ESTONIA STATE PORTAL
Country Estonia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General population
Target people reached 401316 users
Main PSSGI Civic engagement
Started in 2003
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 Estonia - one of the smallest nations in Europe - was left with
little public infrastructure and virtually no commercial activity It needed to build high-functioning government services for its
residents and the fledgling private sector To address this need Estoniarsquos government invested proactively in technology to bring government services and citizens online In 2003 the Estonian government launched the first version of its e-government portal (wwweestiee) which offered secure online access to a limited number of government services Since then the Estonian State Portal has developed and expanded significantly and today
Estoniarsquos 13 million residents can use electronic ID cards to log in to the eestiee portal to vote pay taxes claim unemployment benefits register properties and access more than 815 other public and private e-services The portal is a gateway to public information and services it is user-friendly and secure
91
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Agenda 2020 for EstoniaOnline centralized public service
information system to communicate with citizens
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the state portal is to provide entrepreneurs with entry-level information on their obligations to the state and how they must fulfill them as well as access to public services to the general public through a single window The platform also allows the use of various registry services (commercial register registry of economic activities traffic register etc) The portal is constantly updated and improved with the addition of
new sections or services Ongoing initiatives are related to several aspects of citizens and people lives such as bull the concept of e-residency (also for foreigners wishing to use
Estonian e-services) bull the possibility of establishing a company within an hour
bull making bank transfers within seconds bull participating actively in the management of a company
registered in Estonia bull submitting tax return requests
Financial Model EU structural funds
Results bull The number of users of the platform has grown in the last years bull Currently entrepreneurs and citizens of other 11 foreign
countries can also be authenticated and use Estonian e-services bull The platform contributes extensively to the usability and ease of
use of e-services and thereby it helps to bring the government closer to people Furthermore it helps create awareness of the
availability of e-services as visitors discover new options while browsing it
bull The initiative resulted in a more direct support of inclusive labour markets self-employment and job market
Intermediaries better targeting benefits and services and cost-effective social services meeting the needs of citizens
bull Estoniarsquos experience is also increasing transparency and addressing corruption mismanagement conflicts of interest or ethical issues thanks to the amount of information freely available
Role of ICTs The role of ICT is fundamental the system developed by the government in 2003 called X-Road has been designed to be able
to incorporate innovative applications which has made it possible to constantly update it and enrich it with new tools The system consists of a secure data-access platform connecting existing databases (both public and private) irrespective of their format all the data remain separate and a list of FAQ is in fact the only data X-Road itself maintains
Lessons learned bull The sustainability of the initiative is associated not only to the
will of policymakers but also connected to an increased user
satisfaction bull A number of national governmentsmdashincluding those of Belgium
Germany Italy and the Netherlands as well as a handful of Middle Eastern countriesmdashhave launched or are planning to
launch e-ID card programs
Key Informants Taimar Peterkop - General Director of the Estonian Informatics Centre
92
STRATEGY FOR
DIGITAL
WELFARE
(SDW)
Country Denmark
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group General population older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social care
Started in 2013
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Danish welfare system is based on a strong social citizenship and a guarantee for social rights in case citizens encounter social
problems such as unemployment or sickness As in other Scandinavian countries social innovation in Denmark
is more about supplementing (or improving) existing public sector-led initiatives rather than substituting them In this respect the public sector is pivotal to determine the success or failure of social innovation and for this reason since 2008 the Danish government recognized the use of ICTs as an opportunity to reform its welfare system thus giving more emphasis to the digital delivery of welfare services
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Solutions for health education and social services ensuring effective provision of public sector services
93
Aim of the initiative The aim of the strategy is to accelerate the use of ICT and welfare
technology in frontline public service delivery in order to achieve both a more cohesive welfare system and greater integration across public administrations It consists of a series of initiatives such as bull The dissemination of telemedicine throughout Denmark which
aims to provide citizens with high quality and coherent patient
care bull The welfare technology in nursing and care which aims to
embed digital technologies in the rehabilitation pathway bull The new digital paths in case processing whose aim is to
improve the use of the municipal electronic health records across various sectors of the health care system as well as
across municipal services areas bull The preconditions for digital welfare which aims at
guaranteeing better clarity and flexibility in the tendering process
Financial Model Central financial model for the core costs but not for the local implementation costs The granting of economic support was
conditional on providing a solid and thorough project assessment of the results and efficiency gains for the participating institutions Some funding has come from the Danish Public Welfare Technology Foundation
Results bull New possibilities for citizens to get more actively involved in the
welfare services provision bull Empowerment of many elderly people to live more
autonomously and with greater quality bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for the overall welfare
system in relation to total cost of delivery For instance approximately 59 million euro for the municipal home care service of 375 million euro over a 5 year period for digital
rehabilitation bull The use of a unique eID even when mobile devices are used
together with a digital data sharing system will help in reducing control time and its inaccuracyfallacies
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the health care system promoting an approach innovation-oriented
Role of ICTs Through the use of ICTs the Danish healthcare system aims at increasing home care and thus reducing hospital care Telemedicine is also expected to help prevent acute deterioration in the condition of patients and reduce the number of admissions ICTs solutions such as MedCom messages ensure effective and rapid coordination when sharing information such as discharge
letters prescriptions and referrals
Lessons learned bull A well-functioning broadband and an adequate access to it
should be considered as a precondition for deploying digital welfare solutions
bull Since SDW helps the welfare system with better budgeting administrative processes and reduction of financial costs it
ensures a greater sustainability of the system bull Out of the 25 initiatives 7 are planning to become developed at
a national level bull However SDW hasnrsquot had the spillover yet between the different
initiatives
Key Informants Susanne Duus ndash Team leader of the Agency for Digitalization of the Ministry of Finance
94
DIGITALIZATI
ON OF
SERVICES IN
INPS
Country Italy
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General populationolder people
Target people reached 16 Million
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy and one of the most important in Europe with a significant cash flow
(about 800 billionyear) and one of the largest portfolio of employment and welfare services delivery
Since 2012 an important integration process with respect to pension schemes and social security has been undertaken and its result is that all the major Italian social security institutions are currently merged into INPS following a ldquoclient pathwayrdquo approach Through the 752010 (Extension and expansion of telematics services offered by INPS to the citizens) and the 1692010 (Full
digitalisation of the submission process of benefits requests) internal notes INPS started a gradual and complex process of digitalization based on a multi-channel system for delivering services by using IT exclusively
95
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digitalization and automation of the relationship between the
Public Administration and citizens in reducing digital divide and improving the accessibility of services
Aim of the initiative Thus the expected results of the initiative Digitalization of services in INPS were bull Improved efficiency of the internal production processes through
the automation of some phases of the investigation leading to a great savings of resources
bull Improved quality of work of staff currently engaged in data-entry activities
bull Reduced time needed to submit applications with benefits for both citizens and the Institute
bull Increased service quality through the improvement of the data quality due to the digitalization of the information (thanks to quality and formal controls of the information directly when inserted)
bull Decreased costs of services arising from the potential savings on paper communication towards citizens
Financial Model Public service funding Government Regional Local Authorities non-profit public entities etc
Results The digitalisation and automation of the service delivery model
brought about a great innovation of the overall Italian social security systems and facilitated the access to INPS services for every citizen bull Modernisation of the Social protection system allowed not only
efficiency gains but also new and more effective monitoring processes
bull Massive increase in usage of the online services Increase in of
user awareness on the services offered and certainty of their expected benefits and acquired rights
bull More standardize service model with respect to quality level thus addressing regional (NorthSouth) inequality of service
Lessons learned bull The next 3 years will see the implementation of a
comprehensive framework of measures to upgrade the services offered by the Institute
bull The deployment of ICTs in the INPS reform has been considered by many stakeholders a great success and a best practice to be scaled up and replicated Indeed
bull INPS is the leader of an international consortium EU-China social protection reform project and will assist the Chinese
government in modernising its social security system
Role of ICTs Reengineering of the service delivery method possible by the use of ICTs which allowed access to servicesproducts without mediation by local offices ICTs played a crucial role for the success of the initiative since
multi-channel digitization dematerialization and offshoring were achievable only through ICT innovation Today all types of INPS services are available online and payable
through multi-channels
Key Informants Antonio De Luca Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Ettore Fusco Deputy Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Patrizia Maria Ester DAndrea and Francesca Arbitrio team leaders within the Planning and Control Central Directorate of INPS
96
EXPRESS TRAIN
TO EMPLOYMENT
(EXTE)
Welfare to Work
programme
Country Poland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Unemployed
Target people reached 1000
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Welfare to Work (W2W) programme was introduced in Poland as a follow-up to the recent Labour Act reform to deal with a
stagnating labour force participation and a fairly high government deficit (33 in 2014 up from the 28 target of 2015)
The Polish Government was under pressure to introduce innovative welfare provisions which could combine a social system approach traditionally more open to public-private partnership and an innovative use of information management for servicesrsquo organization which could maximize efficiency of the system The W2W programme together with innovative data modelling constitutes the bulk of the Express Train to
Employment (ExTE) pilot project which aimed to improve the engagement and activation of long-term unemployed people in the region of Malopolska Conditional to its success the initiative was then to be scaled up and extended to other regions first and the rest of the country later
97
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Labour Act Reform addressing the problem of long-term
unemployment in the Krakow Region
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the ExTE project was to enhance the mechanisms to help reducing the levels of unemployment rates Under this overarching goal the specific objectives were bull Achieving sustainable employment for at least 35 of the
participants bull Raising the employability of participants in the project bull Disseminating information about services offered to those
unemployed bull Establishing partnerships following the British model (W2W) in
order to identify and develop synergies and effective solutions that could then be scaled-up nationally
Results-based financing was one of the main mechanisms used to compensate operators and stakeholders involved in addition
ExTE saw the inclusion of non-public agents that could offer a variety of knowledge and additional resources
Financial Model The initiative driven by a public- private partnership is implemented with the support of the European Social Fund The service model that was used in this initiative is based on the exploitation of the ability of the private sector to find jobs for the
long-term unemployed
Results The pilot program in the region of Krakow reached significant results both in terms of securing employment for participants and uncovering jobs that had not been publicly advertised bull About 66 of registered users found a job within the first 6
month of participation compared to only 20 of individuals in the control group
bull More than half of the participants (52) had at least one job offer vs only 30 workers in the control group
bull The project was more successful in matching individualsrsquo skills
and competences with jobs bull Updated model of outsourcing employment services through
non-public providers bull A framework of legislative recommendations was produced as
results of the model proposed within the initiative with the aim to be included in the Labour Act
bull The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy introduced a series of amendments in the regulations of the labour market including a new system of profiling the unemployed
Role of ICTs ICTs supported and facilitated existing processes contributing to improve the organisational mechanisms of employment service provisions through bull The creation of a new data model to facilitate matching between
demand and supply of workforce
bull The creation of databases enabling a coordinated planning of activities
Lessons learned bull The government is planning to replicate the initiative in other
regions of the country bull The transferability of the model is demonstrated by the fact that
the W2W initiatives are already implemented in Britain Australia
and the Netherlands bull More needs to be done to ensure that participants stay in
employment for longer for instance by providing additional training and education
Key Informants AMartynuska Director Regional Labour Office in Krakow
98
LITTLE BIRD Country Germany
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public-private partnership
Type of initiative Service
Target group Children mothers families
Target people reached 5000 kindergartens
Main PSSGI Childcare
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Similarly to many EU countries Germany incremented its focus on family-friendly policies to promote gender equality and increase
female participation in the labour market by fostering family friendly policies such as extended maternity and paternity leave
Despite recent progress however Germany still lags behind countries such as France Denmark or Sweden which offer a vast range of childcare initiatives and spend a higher proportion of family benefits on services Indeed childcare provision in Germany is still hindered by three main issues gender inequality in the number of hours of care provided high cost of childcare services and shortage of qualified childcare staff
The Little Bird initiative commissioned by the government and implemented by private partners was born to address the management of available resources regarding childcare services It allows the effective and efficient administration of childcare places for parents providers and public administrations
99
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Child care service delivery- providing parents with support in the
kindergarten selection and location process
Aim of the initiative The main objective of Little Bird was to facilitate equal access to infant education to all children through an interactive process that maps out the entire range of administration functions for the allocation of childcare services Its aim was to provide a safe and convenient solution in the region in which it would operate across the boundaries of municipalities in the search allocation and administration of
childcare services In terms of social innovation Little Bird aims to meet the needs of families government public and private providers by monitoring and allocating in a transparent way the kindergarten places of children In terms of ICT innovation Little Bird is a sustained and organizational ICT- enabled social innovation which improves
organizational and administrative processes of the kindergartenrsquos place allocation Providers can plan and monitor their resources on demand families get an overview of all childcare services (privately and publicly owned) and the available vacancies for child care services
Financial Model Public-Private Partnership co-financed by the Investitionbank
Berlin as well as by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Results The platform provides comprehensive information about
institutions childcare facilities and vacancies and provides the necessary transparency to all parts involved It delivered benefits both for the parents and for the municipalities through bull Optimization of the internal administrative processes bull Highly customized childcare services meeting citizens
requirements
bull Reduced response time to the users between application and final outcome
bull Increased cost-effectiveness bull More productive administrative staff bull Better quality of childcare services provided
Role of ICTs Little Bird is Germanyrsquos first eGovernment solution with an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services Through the use of a web application Little Bird centralizes the challenging and tedious process of searching and applying for available local childcare and decentralizes the childcare allocation process throughout
bull ICTs help optimizing the search registration and allocation process while at the same time generating more transparency and better services
Lessons learned bull Little Bird is an innovative example of a public service opening
up to the private sector primarily through the use of a web application
bull Since the solution is only a software product its model can be easily replicated in other contexts All components in the installation are highly modular therefore highly customizable to any local requirement
bull As far as scalability is concerned Little Bird is currently implemented in 60 German municipalities and will be integrated
in other 25 administrations
Key Informants Bernd Klosterkemper Investment Director Ananda Ventures
100
PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE - PES
Country Netherlands
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed (mainly with disabilities)
Target people reached 285 million visitors in 2013
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Dutch Public Employment Service is part of the UWV
(Employee Insurance Agency) and has as a main objective helping
people to find jobs and re-integrate in society through matching supply of work and demand of labour The modernization of the Public Employment Service (PES) in the Netherlands involved the introduction and the optimization of an online environment
(Intranet) which can be used by all employees and managers of UWV WERKbedrijf without any password requirements This management tool is the ldquoMijn Informatie Portaalrsquo
PES recognizes the pivotal need to optimize performance in the area of employment reintegration temporary income and data management and participation of people in work and society
Policy program
supporting the
Employee Insurance Implementation Institution is the public
institution that implements unemployment insurance benefits sickness benefits employment services to the insured people
101
initiative
Aim of the initiative PESrsquo objectives are set in accordance with the government along
with annual agreements and in cooperation with labour market partners like municipalities employers and temporary employment agencies
The core aim is to facilitate the match between supply and demand in the labour market and to support as high a number of citizens as possible to find employment and reintegrate with society The new 2010 Dutch Government established that the new policy on public employment services was going to
bull Empower citizens and employers in the labour market
bull Reduce face to face interaction to 10 of the clients bull Reform the PES so that 90 of the services will be delivered
using digital means and interaction
Financial Model Publicly funded
Results Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online
interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is steadily increasing
The modernisation process has resulted in increased efficiency and accountability at all levels of the PES and in improved outcomes for jobseekers
bull PES exceeded the target for 2013 in terms of the percentage (90) of people claiming benefits through the online platform reaching 95 of the those who use wwwwerknl for unemployment benefits
bull One of the key points of the modernization brought by PES is the accelerated development of the online werknl service for
job seekers
Role of ICTs The initiative contributed significantly to increasing the efficiency
and reliability of data flows
Data are available on national regional sub-regional (lsquoofficersquo) and
individual employee level Every week new data are added Most data are cumulative The technique being used is lsquoOnline Analytical Processingrsquo (OLAP) This technique makes it possible to generate and construct user defined tables with a web-based tool
bull Thanks to the support of ITC tools and the electronic submission and centralization of data the PESrsquo initiative also played a key role in uncovering 65500 violations of the workforce obligations and upon 97400 cases
Lessons learned bull The automation of the process and the higher digitization of
services have made the delivery system financially and socially sustainable
bull Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is
steadily increasing bull Despite the rise of unemployment and the transition to online
services PES was able to stay within their own budget being their regular operating costs 85 lower than what was budgeted for 2013
Key Informants Ronald Van Bekkum UWV Dutch PES
102
POcircLE EMPLOI
100 WEB
Country France
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 63 million subscribers
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background According to the National Reform Program (2014) the national 2020 Target for the Reduction of Poverty and Social Exclusion is
to ldquoreduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 1900000 (baseline year 2007)rdquo
However the economic downturn has prevented the achievement of this target due to rising unemployment rates (up to 102 in 2016 well above its 2008 value of 74) The French Public Employment Service Pocircle Emploi launched a 100 Web initiative to provide free e-support services to jobseekers across France to boost employability and employment The initiative addresses policy goals in the fields of modernizing
social protection systems and implementing active inclusion strategies The 100 Web initiative is part of the ldquoguidedrdquo tutoring provided by Pocircle Emploi in order to better meet the needs of jobseekers personalized employment support services The
103
tutoring is based on the regular support in the job search by
physical telephone conversations or e-mail for those who need regular support The 100 Web services was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Pocircle emploi Strategic Plan 2020 ldquoEnsemble Innovons pour lrsquoEmploirdquo
Aim of the initiative In 2013 Pocircle emploi launched a targeted 100 Web initiative to provide free e-services for jobseekers considered to be quite close to the labour market but in need of support in France 100 Web is embedded in a long-term public strategy of Pocircle Emploi revolving around four areas bull Reinforcing counseling services in order to improve access to job
vacancies
bull Engaging with employers through advisors who inform them
about the services provided by the public sector and external private providers
bull Improving the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers by enhancing physical facilities transparency in processes digital access and access in rural areas
bull Making Pocircle Emploi closer to local needs and realities working
with the State regions and social sector partners
Financial Model The initiative 100 Web is funded by internal resources of Pocircle emploi Pocircle Emploirsquos annual budget funding for interventions and operation and investments were provided by a government contribution of UNEDIC where appropriate grants from local
authorities public bodies and any other income were authorized by regulations
Results bull The service has improved beneficiariesrsquo digital skills and
increased employment opportunities helping to fight digital exclusion reducing social isolation and supporting social
interaction
bull Positive effect on youth inclusion and in the inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations (in particular those living in rural remote or isolated areas) where the initiative aims at improving the access and the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers
Role of ICTs bull Pocircle Emplois web solution is a disruptive transformative
innovation using ICT in the form of an integrated web-based to deliver education training job searching networking and support services for jobseekers and employers in France
bull The ICTs tools contribute to an open process of co-creation of employment and employability e-services based on the interaction between jobseekers and counselors thus enabling
the effective collaboration with the potential employees employers businesses in order to jointly develop implement and adopt employment and employability e-services
Lessons learned bull The 100 Web service was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions
before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015 The future goal is to develop the initiative in a
more comprehensive trying to broaden the audience to which it is addressed
bull The transferability of the initiative is guaranteed by the fact that the digitization strategy of the measures proposed is not associated to French specificities
Key Informants Anne-Leone Campanella and Jean-Philippe Spector Pocircle emploi
104
BADALONA
SERVEIS
ASSISTENCIALS
ndash BSA
Country Spain
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people people with disabilities
Target people reached 2015000 people
Main PSSGI Integrated health- and social care
Started in 2000
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The ageing population and the sustainability of the Catalonian National Public Health System linked to the Social Service System
are some of the factors that motivated the BSA initiative In 2000 the local government of Badalona in Catalonia decided to
merge health and social care provisions into a single organization to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision This at the time unprecedented endeavour of fully integrating under a single governance structure and into a single organization the provision of health and social care ndash from administrative service delivery and clinical perspective ndash faced very serious challenges but gradually the Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)
accomplished that Today it is operational on the full scale and funded entirely by public money it has about 1200 employees who provide integrated health and social care and manages home care for the inhabitants of the City of Badalona roughly 215 thousand people
105
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Integration of social and healthcare policy
Aim of the initiative The main aim of the initiative was to improving efficiency and quality of care provision while at the same time better addressing unmet needs and overall ensuring continuity of care by eliminating overlapping and duplication in services The integration of health and social care would also bull Be organised around the person and provided by a team of
multi-disciplinary professionals
bull Generate a better coordinated more efficient and simplified governance at the City council
Financial Model BSA is an integrated private care organisation entirely funded by public capital Public Insurance pays for health services while the municipality budget covers social care
Results The initiative contributed to the following improvements
bull better coordination between the different levels of care bull better communication and information flows among BSA
providers and other third parties providers in and around Badalona
bull improvements in the organisational and decision making
processes bull a portfolio of innovative services including telemonitoring and
telecare services bull a higher level of quality of care with greater control and better
results for the population bull more efficient care delivery and the modernisation and
improvement of services bull early discharge from hospitals reduced workload for the staff
reduced care costs for the city council
Role of ICTs Operationally the ICT-solutions made it possible to bull merge the organisations
bull harmonise processes needs assessment protocols and care
provision bull interlink the databases and bull plan track and evaluate the operations of the new entity
providing integrated care bull Nevertheless planning creating launching and operating the
harmonised approach were a gradual process
Lessons learned bull The sustainability and scalability of the initiative can be better
ensured by the structured involvement of third sector providers such as volunteer organisations NGOs patient associations etc Such stakeholders can help in filling the gap arising from the lack of public investments and play a crucial role in providing the right cultural environment
bull The initiative is likely to be scalable and transferable since it has been designed taking this dimension into consideration from the very beginning However they may be funding issues In
addition there are some legacy systems that are unique there but overall others can learn from their experiences
bull In order to pursue feasible and reliable innovation patters it is crucial to identify appropriate partners to cooperate with For
instance European funded projects are a great environment to meet relevant and committed partners
Key Informants Jordi Piera - CIO and RampDampI Officer at BSA
106
ACTION
(ASSISTING
CARERS USING
TELEMATICS
INTERVENTIONS TO
MEET OLDER
PEOPLErsquoS NEEDS)
Country Sweden
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public Private
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 1997
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Swedish welfare for older people involves three levels of government
bull National level policy priorities and directives are discussed and passed
bull Regional level county councils are responsible for providing healthcare
bull Local level municipalities are responsible for providing the bulk of social services and housing needs for older people
Care for the elderly is characterized by the key role played by local authorities which decide on how best to organize the provision Private care services accounted for 24 of all elderly
people getting home help in 2013 however privatization of the health care services in Swedish municipalities has steadily increased In Sweden community care policy is based on the principle of ldquoageing in placerdquo which assumes that the majority of older people
107
would prefer to remain in their own homes ICT services can help
to improve the flexibility of caregiver support as well as the quality of life of older family carers by easing their burden helping them to stay healthier and improving the quality of the care they provide
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
ACTION is a knowledge based initiative supporting elderly people and carers and social Inclusion
Aim of the initiative ACTION was an EU-funded research and development technology project that aimed to help informal carers to meet older peoplersquos needs by using Telematics (ACTION) (1997ndash2000) The overall objective of ACTION is to act as a support system It has four main integrated components bull Multi-media educational programmes based on the needs of
carers and older people
bull ACTION station A personal computer with Internet connection
used to make oral and visual contact with the families of other participants and care practitioners
bull ACTION call centre It is used to maintain regular contact with families to ensure that care for the older person is satisfactorily managed
bull Education and supervision Families take part in an initial
education programme which teaches them how to use the ICT-based service The call centre staff runs small group education sessions which enable participants to get acquainted with each other and subsequently initiate videophone contact
Financial Model This service was initially funded through the Fourth Framework
Programme (1997-2000) and was coordinated by the University of Borarings Since 2000 research development and evaluation have been funded by different grants and the municipalities finance the service by buying it from ACTION
Results The benefits of the initiative have been demonstrated by a
number of studies
bull Both the older people and their family carers said their everyday quality of life was enhanced They became less isolated and more socially included
bull Informal carers were also more independent in their tasks and responsibility they felt more competent and they reported better health and lower stress levels
bull The service had the effect of decreasing healthcare costs while
maintaining a high standard of service and boosting the sustainability of the health and social care systems Cost savings estimated at euro23256 per family
Role of ICTs bull ACTIONrsquos capacity of effectively using ICT-enabled social
innovation has produced significant changes in the carersrsquo lives
by helping to reduce their work-load and their responsibilities for the older person
bull It has increased the monitoring and counselling provided to the
family carers by professional carers bull It has also increased self-management and empowered the
users through specifically designed online courses and by sharing information on caring best practices in real time These
services are readily accessible by family carers from home
Lessons learned bull In 2004 ACTION became a mainstream service in the Borarings
municipality in 2012 25 other municipalities tested the system but did not implement it because they lacked resources
bull The ACTION project has a high level of standardization and can
be easily implemented by other Member States
Key Informants Lennart Magnusson - Director of Swedish family care center
108
SOUTH KARELIA
DISTRICT OF
SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES
(EKSOTE)
Country Finland
Strength of Evidence Weak
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Older people (aged 75+) carers
Target people reached 31000
Main PSSGI Integrated Health and Social Care
Started in 2010
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Before the EKSOTE programme started operating in 1996 hospitals in the region were significantly overloaded This had a
negative impact on the quality of the service provided particularly for disabled and elderly people whose access to follow-up care
was badly managed The previous governance system of social care provision was plagued with recurrent delays and coordination issues The Finnish health care system is structured around municipality-based units which have assumed responsibility for primary care and region-based units which absolve other functions related to health care organization and coordination with the national level
In 1997 the AQP (AssessQualify-Place ) operations units centralized patient follow-up care in order to speed up the process of allocating this type of care to patients who had been discharged from the central hospital In 2010 EKSOTE started to manage all the social and health care services in nine municipalities With the
109
implementation of EKSOTE the traditional division between
primary and secondary care structures disappeared (at least in the EKSOTE municipalities) As compared to traditional ways of delivering social security services EKSOTE places a higher priority on assessing service needs and providing advisory and instructional services in alternative forms For example it has put in place a mobile and
internet health service network (an ICT-enabled social innovation)
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Finnish country wide ICT policy also related to the European Digital Agenda
Aim of the initiative The objective of EKSOTE was to improve the coordination among social service providers and improve the quality of service It also aimed to provide equal access to social and health care
services to all citizens in the region it operates in across the
boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care process
Financial Model Public funding By spending on rehabilitation and preventive action South Karelia has been able to achieve better cost effectiveness
Results The improved integration and coordination of social services provision has brought the following benefits bull improvement of access and take-up bull simplification of administration bull better targeted and personalised services
bull cost-effectiveness of social services which meet the needs of citizens
Role of ICTs EKSOTE implemented a process of digitalization in the South Karelia Region starting from 2010 bull Thanks to its innovative use of a centralized placement service
(AssessQualify-Place or AQP) it has contributed to better
targeted more appropriate and personalized quality service bull In addition to AQP another fundamental feature of EKSOTE is
the creation of the Business Intelligence Model (BIM)Data for BIM are collected from several sources and can be used to predict demand service planning user analysis and the calculation of indicators
bull The EKSOTE BIM plays an important role for the management
system in social and health care system as it allows the common and regional indicators to combine the user groups and measure the usage of services and especially to report and analyse the data classified in a new way
Lessons learned bull The initiative has been considered a best practice and the
government the piloting system takes advantage of components that are already in use in most social and healthcare sector organizations and does not require major hardware or software investments or any changes to the overall
system architecture bull EKSOTE has been promoted by the Finnish government which is
trying to scale out the initiative to a nationwide level In this
respect many municipalities are visiting EKSOTE office so as to study the initiative and replicate it within their territories
bull The methodology underpinning the initiative shows a high degree of transferability of the experience to other European contexts
Key Informants Merja Tepponen - Chief Development Officer of Health and Social care Department
110
PATHWAY
ACCOMMODATION
AND SUPPORT
SYSTEM (PASS)
Country Ireland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Homeless
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social housing
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is a complex social problem and there is no simple solution The primary need of homeless people is appropriate long‐term housing In conjunction with this need for housing
many homeless people also have physical health mental health
addiction andor other support needs that must be addressed in order for them to be able to stop being homeless In Ireland the health services and local authorities share responsibility for the provision of shelter support and housing for homeless people The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 addresses the needs of homeless citizens in Ireland and outlines a statutory
obligation for local authorities to have an action plan and to set up a Homelessness Consultative Forum and a Statutory Management Group The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has overall responsibility for the planning development and coordination of
111
homeless and related housing and support services in the Dublin
region and is responsible for the statutory funding across the spectrum of services that comprise the Pathway to Home model of service
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
National Homeless Strategy The Way Home
Aim of the initiative PASS is a client management system for homeless service users
that also aims to provide to the public authorities and other stakeholders involved statistical information on homelessness and use of related services in order to bull monitor the effectiveness of the strategy bull identify emerging trends related to homelessness bull monitor and improve service delivery helping the agencies to
work together to provide a continuum of care and integrate
service delivery
bull plan the development of future services
Financial Model The PASS System is financed by DRHE resources from two main sources i) Section 10 funding from Central Government (DECLG) to local authorities under the 1998 Housing Act combined with a
contribution (at 10) of funding directly from each local authorityrsquos revenue streams and ii) the Health Service Executive - a central funder of homeless services in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programmes
Results bull PASS has allowed DRHE to increase efficiency of bed occupancy
to a rate of 99 of capacity by sharing information between all the agencies that support homeless people
bull DRHErsquos initial target to create 700 tenancies in 2014 was exceeded and 792 tenancies were created
bull According to the Homeless Authority of Dublin the PASS
platform can effectively support the decision-making process on
capital investment in housing provision bull Access to real-time data has allowed authorities and other
stakeholders providing services to the homeless to deliver higher quality services to respond effectively to the target usersrsquo needs and to optimize financial and human resources
Role of ICTs ICT-enabled social innovation has produced substantial
improvements in the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the social service delivery models It has played a dual role bull As an enabling factor as it facilitates a better cost-effective
partnership between all public and private stakeholders involved in the process of delivering social housing services
bull As a ldquogame-changer access to real-time data helps all actors
involved (public and private) to understand analyse and respond in a qualitatively better and more cost-efficient way
Lessons learned bull In terms of scalability PASS will be developed to become a new
lsquocloudrsquo technological computing system bull Further development of a specific data strategy is needed in
order to ensure the success of this initiative at national level
Key Informants Daacuteithiacute Downey Deputy Director Head of Policy and Service Delivery Dublin Region Homeless Executive Ireland
112
TELECARE
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME IN
SCOTLAND (TDP)
Country United Kingdom (Scotland)
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Regional (National)
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group Older people
Target people reached 45000
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 2006 (ended in 2011)
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background In Scotland a growing incidence of disability and long-term illness brought about the requirement for health and care service
support Between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 the Scottish Governmentrsquos expenditure on the people aged 60 and over
increased by 5 per annum in real terms to pound51 billion a year The Scottish government established that care of frailer older people with continuing health problems should focus on better support for them at home To this end it focused strongly on the development of telecare and telehealth The Scottish Telecare Development Programme (TDP) was a funding initiative run by Scottish Government between 2006 and
2011 to drive the adoption of telecare by local health and social care services The strategy was to stimulate Scottish local partnerships to redesign existing home care services with a two-step funding programme The main actors comprised the housing and social care departments of the Local Authorities and the local
113
NHS Boards that represent the health care professionals in charge
of community-based health service provisioning Together they promoted and designed the telecare initiative to be funded by the National Government and helped drive its implementation in the local contexts The Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT) was established to support and guide the development of telehealth and telecare throughout Scotland
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) for Scotland was launched in August 2006 as a policy initiative
Aim of the initiative The objective of the TDP funding initiative was to stimulate the 32 Scottish local health and care partnerships (made up of local Health Boards and Local Authorities) to develop and mainstream telecare services Its main objectives could be summarized as follows
bull Increase the productivity of social protection systems and of
healthcare delivery including formal and informal care bull Increase the sustainability of the social protection system
particularly by reducing the number of avoidable admissions to care homes
bull Increase the quality of services for both carers and users bull Support system integration
bull Reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty and disability among older people through disease prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
bull Facilitate hospital discharge bull Increase self-care and independent living at home
Financial Model Two-step funding programme in 2006-2008 awarded to the initiatives that addressed the specification of the bid in 2008-2011 to the initiatives which were satisfactorily developed Development support was also offered through the Scottish Governmentrsquos Joint Improvement Team (JIT) to those
partnerships that were not progressing as planned
Results The TDPrsquos effects were comprehensively assessed throughout the programme bull Informal carers felt that telecare had reduced pressurestress
and facilitated greater independence for users bull 60 of users reported improvements to their quality of life bull Patients were discharged faster from hospital while the number
of emergency admissions was reduced
bull The single biggest saving was coming from the avoided care home admissions estimated cost savings for the sector of approximately euro 954 million at 2011 prices
bull Telecare could efficiently address the special caring needs of people living with dementia
Role of ICTs bull ICTs played an important role in the deployment and
mainstreaming of the services across Scottish territory interoperability problems constituted important barriers to the
development and sustainability of the services
Lessons learned bull In the more successful TDP initiatives now mainstreamed in
their local communities Community Health Partnerships played
a fundamental role in ensuring cooperation bull Considering the high initial investment costs the replication and
expansion of the initiative to similar contexts is regarded as a key factor for its sustainability
Key Informants Donna Henderson European Engagement Manager Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and Telecare NHS 24 Doreen Watson Telecare Consultant Joint Improvement Team Scottish Government
114
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bull more than one copy or postersmaps
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KJ-N
A-2
8570-E
N-N
doi102760256658
ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8
This publication is a Science for Policy report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) the European Commissionrsquos
science and knowledge service It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European
policymaking process The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European
Commission Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is
responsible for the use that might be made of this publication
Contact information
Gianluca Misuraca Senior Scientist IESI Project Leader
European Commissions Joint Research Centre Directorate for Growth amp Innovation Seville Spain
Email gianlucamisuracaeceuropaeu
JRC Science Hub
httpseceuropaeujrc
JRC106484
EUR 28570 EN
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8 ISSN 1831-9424 doi102760256658
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
copy European Union 2017
The reuse of the document is authorised provided the source is acknowledged and the original meaning or
message of the texts are not distorted The European Commission shall not be held liable for any consequences
stemming from the reuse
How to cite this report Misuraca G Pasi G Abadie F Kucsera C Virginillo M (2017) Exploring the role
of ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to support the modernisation of EU Social Protection Systems findings and
insights from analysis of case studies in fourteen Member States EUR 28570 EN doi102760256658
All images copy European Union 2017
Title Findings and insights from analysis of case studies on the role of ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to
support the modernisation of Social Protection Systems in the EU
Abstract
This report presents the results of the analysis of case studies on how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting
social investment can contribute to the modernisation of social protection systems in the EU The case studies
are drawn from 14 different Member States and address diverse social services and policy domains Evidence
from the analysis points out to the strong potential of using new approaches based on ICT-enabled social
innovation to support public authorities at various governance levels in their efforts to improve the
effectiveness and impact of social services delivery mechanisms and outreach The analysis makes a first
attempt to assess the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled social innovation and the
broader social protection system in which they are embedded in The results of the cross-analysis of case
studies allowed defining a set of policy implications that can help policy makers to drive social change Among
many two in particular might be considered especially relevant in order to take full advantage of ICT-enabled
social innovation potential the simplification of procedures through an open-government approach and the use
of European Structural and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
1
Acknowledgments
This report has been elaborated by the IESI Team of the Human Capital and Employment
Unit of the European Commissions Joint Research Centre Directorate B - Growth and
Innovation It is part of the research on ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to support the
implementation of the Social Investment Package conducted with DG Employment Social
Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) It also integrates the findings of the Study on the role of
ICT-enabled Social Innovation promoting social investment in support to the
modernisation of Social Protection Systems in the EU conducted by KPMG Advisory Spa
under the supervision of Pier Luigi Verbo and Marco Virginillo
We would like to thank all the experts and representatives of stakeholders who provided
crucial inputs at all stages of the research especially as regards identifying the most
promising cases and review of the preliminary results of the analysis In this regard a
special thank you goes to Alexander Heichlinger Expert at the European Institute of Public
Administration (EIPA) and Alfonso Lara Montero Policy Director of the European Social
Network (ESN) who reviewed intermediate pieces of the research and provided valuable
comments and suggestions for improvement
Finally we are particularly grateful to colleagues from DG EMPL who encouraged us to
investigate this area of research and provided support and guidance
Note
This report is based on the results of the IESI Project conducted under the
Administrative arrangement between JRC and DG EMPL ( 33268-2014-01) for a
multi-year research on ICT enabled Social Innovation to support the Implementation of
the Social Investment Package For more information httpseceuropaeujrceniesi
Disclaimer The information and views set out in this publication are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission The Commission does
not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study Neither the Commission nor
any person acting on the Commissionrsquos behalf may be held responsible for the use which
may be made of the information contained therein
copy European Union JRC 2017
2
Table of contents
Executive summary 3
1 Introduction 8
11 Policy background 8
12 The IESI Research 8
13 This report 10
2 Methodology 11
21 Research design 11
22 Literature review 12
23 Case studies 12
3 Review of the state of the art 15
31 Social protection systems in Europe 15
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services 19
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision 27
4 Cases overview 33
41 Main characteristics 33
42 Areas of focus across the case studies 37
5 Results from cross-case analysis 40
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems 40
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success 47
53 Evidence of impact on service integration 50
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives 54
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed 61
6 Conclusions 64
61 Key results 64
62 Policy implications 66
63 Future research 68
References 70
List of abbreviations and definitions 83
List of tables 84
List of figures 85
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies 86
3
Executive summary
This report provides an overview of the results of the analysis of selected case studies on
how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting social investment can contribute to the
modernisation of social protection systems in the European Union The case studies have
been identified and analysed as part of the research project entitled ldquoICT-Enabled Social
Innovation to support the implementation of the Social Investment Packagerdquo (IESI)
conducted by the European Commissionacutes Joint Research Centre in collaboration with the
Directorate General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
Objectives
This report aims to explore (i) the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled
social innovations that have been implemented and the broader social protection system in
which they are embedded in and (ii) the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives which promote social investment to support the modernisation of social
protection systems in EU Member States
Building on the results of three rounds of systematic literature reviews made by Misuraca
et al 2017 the main contribution of this explorative attempt is to provide qualitative
evidence that goes beyond the already well-studied relationship between ICTs and generic
public service modernisation reforms as it specifically investigate and shed lights on social
protection systems which are under researched when it comes to the contribution made by
ICT-enabled social innovation Therefore the aim of the report is to provide empirical
support to help member States in their reform endeavours
Through the cross analysis of fourteen in-depth case studies drawn from different Member
States and which represents different welfare models the report identifies the potential
implications for policies at local national and EU level Together the case studies cover all
the various Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) although most of the
initiatives analysed involved more than one social service according to the peculiarities of
the services offered and their levels of integration The table below presents the list of the
selected case studies and related area of service provided
Initiative Country Social services addressed
A Book for a Roof Croatia Education and training - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Badalona Assistance Services Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Crossroads Bank for Social Security Belgium Social care - Social assistance ndash Employment - Civic engagement
Digitalisation of social security services
Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
Poland Employment - Employability
Little bird Germany Childcare
National Telecare Development Programme
Scotland UK Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Online Point of Single Contact Estonia
Civic engagement Social care Social assistance ndash Childcare - Education and training - Social housing ndash Employment - Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web France Employment - Employability
Reform of employee insurance implementation institution
Netherlands Employment ndash Employability - Social assistance
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Strategy for Digital Welfare Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
4
Methodology
Once completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds 50 promising cases out of the 300 initiatives identified by the IESI
mapping exercise have been selected The criteria used for the selection included
geographical coverage representativeness of the different welfare systems coverage of all
the relevant thematic areas (derived from a revisited typology of PSSGI)
representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders (public private and third
sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis Through the first step each initiative was analysed
according to two criteria (relevance and complexity) in order to capture its potential
systemic impact This allowed giving a numerical score to different sub-parameters for
each of the 50 initiatives Through the second step of the selection process the IESI
analytical framework has been applied While the ICT-enabled innovation potential was
used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo
cluster (incremental and sustained innovation) and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster
(disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of governance of service integration was
used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with the highest level of governance)
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis The figure below
shows the geographic coverage of the analysed case studies
In each case we analysed the main social innovation elements the potential for ICT-
enabled innovation the levels of governance and type of service integration the impact
evaluation carried out and the degree of sustainability and possible transferability
5
Results
The case studies provide useful insights into the factors that have been critical to an
initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social innovation They also show how
these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of the Social Investment
Package
With regard to the first SIPs objective ie modernizing social protection systems
spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable protection
many initiatives by building a collaborative innovation network between public agencies or
departments reshaped the governance model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach In particular the exploitation of ICTs generated new
public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the
traceability of information flows and the fight against fraud The contribution ICTs make to
the modernization of social protection system lies mainly in their ability to minimize the
administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
With regard to the second SIPs objective ie implementing active inclusion strategies
investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve their integration into society and the
labour market the combination of employment information management and ICT training
allows the production process of services to be redesigned This can improve integration
opportunities within society and also help to include disadvantaged people into the labour
market The integration of services enabled by the use of ICTs empowers people
especially the homeless older people and the more fragile by improving their skills and
ability to live independently at home or to find jobs It also helps to improve the quality of
life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their caregivers Moreover equal access to
social and health care services for all citizens across the boundaries of municipalities
directly increases the inclusiveness of social protection systems
With regard to the third SIPs objective ie investing in individuals throughout their lives
ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments
during their lives it has been recognised that skills and active inclusion strategies offering
psycho-social support can boost beneficiariesrsquo motivation and respond to their needs at
critical moments in their lives Moreover ICTs can often contribute to changing service
delivery models making them more beneficiary-centric They can also reduce the risk of
unsuitable or undue benefits by formulating innovative responses to peoples changing
needs They can also personalize services which is especially important in the field of
employment support services Here they can improve the match between job demand and
offer and also aggregate job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations
The case study analysis allowed us to spot some major social issues in which ICTs can
offer ndash and indeed are already offering ndashimportant support without structural or wider
reforms The analysis showed that ICTs can help to modernise social protection systems
mainly by contributing to the sustainability of welfare systems
Some of the cases analysed demonstrate that ICTs contribute to solving the structural
imbalance between emerging and growing social needs and the decreasing or limited
financial resources available In particular the use of ICTs can help social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected by
different health and social conditions and require multiple services technological
advances have made it possible to link information across programme areas and to
identify individuals with complex needs and hence target them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used to
having access to information and services through web and mobile devices new
digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with service
providers across a range of industries including the social services and more generally
the welfare area
6
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour market
participation of all members of the working-age population a new wave of welfare-to-
work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments trying to reduce
demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from finding sustained
employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and demand
Handle budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to widespread public
sector austerity measures in many developed economies these pressures mean that
service integration and optimisation are becoming increasingly attractive options for
governments looking for higher cost effectiveness in service delivery allocating higher
percentages of resources and incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated to
the most effective and efficient initiatives they must be scaled up or transferred to
other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics functionalities allow to
leverage the evidence collected and better allocate resources on the basis of the
specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information regarding the
policy interventions undertaken and its results this data can then be shared in order
to inform policy makers and support the decision making process to develop or adapt
future policies
Policy and research implications
The results of the cross-analysis of case studies allowed us to define a set of policy
implications that can help policy makers to drive social change
In order to reap all the benefits of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives some
contextual and complementary policy initiatives are needed This mainly points to the need
of addressing required administrative changes and financial support initiatives especially
in the perspective of a more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social
innovation
Most of the case studies confirmed that ICTs are a crucial but not sufficient condition for
ICT-enabled social innovation to fully realise its potential Other enabling factors must
come into play for instance
Workforce development the empowerment of workers and job seekers requires
investment in their skills and competences They must also be given new and flexible
ways of participating in the labour market Employers and public institutions must
invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation working groups They must also
envisage joint training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and
fill any skills gaps that may arise This requires the creation of new roles and a review
of existing jobs to adapt them to the changing environment and the evolving needs of
the workforce
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third sector
providers should be promoted and the development of innovative initiatives
facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for the integration and
scaling up of these practices into actual processes
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms seem to be efficient in
promoting coordinated interventions to address common and shared social problems
in an outcome-oriented approach Other financial schemes such as acutepersonal
budgetsacute produce effective incentives because they enable users and case managers
to freely purchase the desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they
foster the creation of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are
closer to the needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms could encourage
integration and collaboration among different service providers
7
Finally the introduction of ICTs should be combined with the re-engineering of
organizational structures and a cultural shift towards embracing social innovation In
particular these two further directions are related to the simplification of services
procedures through an open-government approach and the use of the European Structural
and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
With regard to the simplification of procedures the increase in information and knowledge
exchange and in openness and transparency provide new opportunities for public
administrations to offer user-friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs
and the administrative burden An open government approach can encourage this
transformation by opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration in the
design production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and decisions
enhance transparency accountability and trust in government
With respect to the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to further
finance ICT-based developments in the social sector it should be considered that National
and regional authorities are in charge of defining their strategies and operational
programmes for enhancing territorial development and social cohesion which form the
basis for delivering EU structural funds Local institutions can play a proactive role in both
the allocation of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-
financing requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another strengthening knowledge
exchange across the EU
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect future research directions
Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes has also
been recognised as a strategy in support of social policy innovation initiatives and it could
be interesting to explore this further since it could offer the policy maker new
organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business models effectively
contribute to social change
Therefore it is important to answer the question whether social policy innovation
strategies especially ICT-enabled ones can be embedded in policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other terms it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular can be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox At the same
time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies will not be the
panacea for all welfare state challenges rather one of the social protection layers of future
welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the modernisation of welfare
systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as supplementary
minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits schemes
Nevertheless and according to the results of this research social policy innovation
initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an important role represent an important
means of modernising social protection systems ICTs need to be used as part of a broader
strategy designed and led by the public sector which becomes an even more important
actor and will also take on the task of coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
8
1 Introduction
11 Policy background
The 2008 crisis and the growing inequalities which followed have highlighted the
limitations of the current European social and welfare model Policymakers have tackled
the economic and societal challenges by redistributing resources through the taxation
system and granting special benefits to those in need however at the same time they
acknowledge that the European Social Model needs to be modernised
Many experts have proposed new ideas and new solutions for the challenges faced by
European welfare systems This general rethinking of prevailing socio-economic views and
perspectives has led to the emergence of two interrelated quasi-concepts social
investment and social innovation In spite of their theoretical and conceptual limitations
these terms have proven to be powerful tools for shaping policy outcomes
This trend was enhanced at EU level by the adoption of the Social Investment Package
(SIP)1 in 2013 The EC Communication Towards Social Investment for Growth and
Cohesion2 calls for social services to be designed fairly in a thoughtful and personalized
manner so as to provide equal access to those entitled In addition the SIP
Communication urges EU Member States to prioritise social investment and the
modernisation of their welfare systems in order to address unemployment poverty and
social exclusion brought about by the economic crisis and also the challenges to the
sustainability of social welfare systems posed by an ageing population
The SIP focuses on social innovation (Jenson 2015) as a means of providing ways of
improving the efficiency and adequacy of social policies and their effectiveness in
addressing societal challenges It also facilitates life-long investment in human capital The
European Commission has already emphasized the importance of embedding social
innovation in policy-making processes and connecting innovation policy to priorities It has
paid particular attention to the appropriate use of EU funds to support the implementation
of successful policy innovation (EU 2013 Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) It is
recognised that the potential of social innovation is further increased by the growing range
of available innovative solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) However it seems that ICT-based solutions only materialize rapidly on the ground
when specific efforts are made to encourage their use in social innovation
12 The IESI Research
In this context the European Commissions DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
(DG EMPL) and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre joined forces to conduct
a research project entitled ICT-enabled Social Innovation in support to the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
The key goal of IESI is to support the implementation of the EU Social Investment Package
(SIP) by investigating how ICT-enabled Social Innovation can support social investment
policies3
1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council the European and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion See httpeceuropaeusocialmainjspcatId=1044
2 EC COM (2013) 83 httpeur-lexeuropaeulegal-contentENTXTuri=CELEX52013DC0083 3 For a more detailed presentation of the IESI conceptual and analytical framework including the definition of
ICT-enabled social innovation developed as part of this research and the concept of Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) see the previous Deliverables available of the IESI Projects website httpseceuropaeujrceniesi and the JRC Science and Policy Report (Misuraca et al 2015)
9
More specifically the IESI research project aims to
i provide a better understanding of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled
social innovation to implement the actions suggested in the SIP
ii contribute to building the evidence base needed for social policy innovation by
gathering knowledge analysing initiatives and raising awareness about successful
experiences implemented in EU Member States
iii develop a methodological framework of analysis of the impacts - from micro to
macro level - generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which promote
social investment
The research results are expected to enhance the understanding of how ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives contribute to better targeting benefits and services improving the
management provision and coordination of services designing high-quality and cost-
effective services which meet the needs of citizens and supporting access to and take-up
of social services for instance by enabling simpler procedures providing better and more
targeted information or allowing the development of one-stop-shops
With regard to the scope of the research the starting point of the analysis is to identify
the Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) ie the services that respond to
vital human needs fight discrimination and create equal opportunities4 More specifically
the focus of the research is the analysis of policy-relevant initiatives related to integrated
approaches to social services provision and hence the study of how they contribute to
achieving some of the priorities defined in the SIP objectives
The IESI three-year research project was designed according to three interrelated Work
Packages namely Systematic mapping (WP1) Methodological framework of analysis of
impacts (WP2) and Thematic analysiscase studies (WP3) as illustrated in Figure 1 below
Figure 1 Research Design
Source own elaboration
4 According to Misuraca et al 2015 PSSGI have been classified through the following typologies (1)
Childcare (2) Education and training (3) Social assistance (4) Social care (5) Social housing (6) Employability (7) Employment (8) Social inclusionparticipation (9) Civic engagement (10) Active and healthy ageing and long-term care
10
Considerable effort was dedicated during the research especially in the IESI Thematic
analysiscase studiesrdquo Work Package (WP3) to studying the role and impact that ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social investment may have on the
modernisation of the following aspects of the Member Statesrsquo social protection systems
(1) Social SecurityEmployment (2) Social Inclusion and Participation (3) Active and
Healthy Ageing
Data were collected on a number of relevant examples of initiatives (cases) across the EU
The aim was to analyse the services provided in each case by various stakeholders and
intermediaries from the public private and third sectors with a specific focus on their role
and relationships At the same time the research aimed to better understand the nature
and impact of ICT-enabled social innovation in support of social investment its drivers
barriers and determinants and the various diffusion paths that characterise each of the
above mentioned thematic areas The case study approach allowed us to gather important
insights from both the cross-case analysis and the thematic analysis
13 This report
This report presents the results of the analysis of relevant ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives identified across the EU It explores the relationships between different
typologies of implemented ICT-enabled social innovation and the social protection system
in which they are embedded It also assesses the potential impact of ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives promoting social investment on the modernisation of social protection
systems in EU Member States More precisely the analysis seeks to determine what the
main drivers and barriers for the modernisation of social protection systems are and what
specific impacts are generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social
investment
Thus the main research questions addressed by the case studies are
What role do ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives play in supporting social
investment policies in modernising social services
What enabling factors in social investments and social innovations contribute to
enhancing social protection policies especially in times of crisis And what are the
barriers
The analyses presented in this report support the evidence on the contribution of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives which promote social investment for the modernisation
of social protection systems to the implementation of the EU SIP Therefore the cases
studied here also provide a snapshot of the state of deployment of social investment
policies which aim to facilitate the implementation of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives to encourage the modernisation of social services and welfare system in Europe
This report is structured as follows
Chapter 1 introduces the background and rationale of the project the overall
objectives and outlines the structure of this report
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the general methodology followed for the
literature review selection of the case studies and cross-case analysis
Chapter 3 presents key findings from the review of the state of the art which
focuses on ICT-enabled social innovation in EU social protection systems and social
services delivery models
Chapter 4 presents an overview of the case studies structured along the main
relevant dimensions of the research
Chapter 5 presents the cross-cases analysis illustrated with examples from the
activities key results and challenges of the initiatives
Chapter 6 presents the key findings the conclusions of the study future research
challenges and policy implications
11
2 Methodology
21 Research design
The key goal of the analysis of case studies which formed part of the IESI research design
was to provide evidence of successful andor promising ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives implemented around Europe to support the modernisation of social protection
systems This enabled us to assess the extent of the contribution of ICT-enabled social
innovation to the implementation of the SIP
More specifically the case studies aimed to
Provide evidence of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled social innovation
to implement the actions suggested in the SIP in order to modernize their social
protection systems
Contribute to a better understanding of the impact of social policies by studying
promising initiatives The initiatives selected aimed to simplify processes and better
target benefits and services improve management design high-quality and cost-
effective services and identify effective channels of public value distribution
In order to achieve the above objectives five steps were undertaken
i An inception analysis was carried out in order to define the methodology that would
be used to conduct the research activities (ie a review of the state of the art and
the selection of the case studies for in-depth analysis) The inception analysis also
reviewed the data gathering tools to be used
ii A comprehensive review of the state of the art in modernising social protection
systems was completed The review comprised relevant literature policies
theoretical approaches and the level of service provision amongst the different EU
countries It also collected and documented promising initiatives across the EU
Specific emphasis was given to the role played by ICTs as well as its barriers and
enablers
iii We tried to understand the role played by ICTs in these social innovations and the
provision of these services as both enablers and game-changers (Misuraca et al
2015) This phase aimed to identify relevant examples of the application of ICT-
enabled social innovation to support the modernisation of social protection systems
in the EU Basic data and documentation were gathered on 50 potential examples
representing the 5 types of welfare systems and illustrating the 10 PSSGI areas
included in the SIP
For each of the 50 examples identified a short case description providing the
context objectives activities main results and impacts was included In addition a
typology of ICT-enabled social innovation services and impacts was developed
Based on the knowledge gathered we established some criteria for the selection of
case studies
iv Based on the results of the previous steps the most promising cases among the 50
were selected for further in-depth analysis
v We analysed both the data obtained through desk research and the qualitative data
collected through in-depth interviews with representatives of the organizations
involved in the selected cases including beneficiaries and other relevant
stakeholders In each case study we investigated how ICT-enabled social
innovation is being or has been implemented We looked at what results have
been achieved in terms of SIP objectives return on investments and impact areas
In addition a cross-case analysis was also carried out which included discussion of
the potential implications for policies at local national and EU level and with
specific regard to the SIP objectives
12
22 Literature review
A dedicated literature review was deemed necessary to help us select initiatives that would
provide relevant insights into achieving the IESI objectives described earlier ie
a) explore the relationships between different typologies of implemented ICT-enabled
social innovation and the social protection system in which they are embedded and
b) assess the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which
promote social investment on the modernisation of social protection systems in EU
Member States
The literature review investigated the state of the art in the modernisation of social
protection systems in Europe in order to identify the main elements that characterise the
landscape in which ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives had been implemented This
included a review of relevant scientific literature policies theoretical approaches and the
level and types of service provision in EU countries and of grey literature such as policy
documents and reports by practitioners administrative sources and official statistical
reports
We considered the main features of the socio-economic context such as the relationships
between social innovation and social protection systems the relationships between social
protection systems and welfare systems and the role of services integration and social
protection system
23 Case studies
231 Selection of initiatives
Having completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds we then selected 50 promising cases These were chosen from the
initiatives identified by the IESI mapping exercise and additional ad-hoc searches
The criteria used for the selection included geographical coverage representativeness of
the different welfare systems coverage of all the relevant thematic areas (derived from a
revisited typology of PSSGI) representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders
(public private and third sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis
Step 1 Multi-criteria analysis
Taking the data collected on the 50 initiatives as input we used a ranking model based on
the multi-criteria methodology shown in Figure 2 below Each initiative was in fact
analysed according to the two criteria of relevance and complexity in order to capture its
potential systemic impact This allowed us to give a numerical score to different sub-
parameters for each of the 50 initiatives identified
Step 2 Applying the IESI analytical framework
As shown in Figure 3 the IESI analytical framework from the IESI Knowledge Map
(Misuraca et al 2015) was then used to further assess the initiatives While the ICT-
enabled innovation potential was used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives
belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo cluster (incremental and sustained innovation)
and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster (disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of
governance of service integration was used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with
the highest level of governance)
13
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology
Source own elaboration
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework
Source own elaboration
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis
232 Analysis of case studies
The analysis of the selected case studies followed three main methodological steps (i)
desk research (ii) interviews and (iii) case development and analysis The desk research
focused on technical documents publications and reports produced by policy makers
researchers and academics and also surveys undertaken by consultants and international
experts The aim was to obtain specific and reliable data about the context and the impact
of each of the initiatives under analysis and to identify and select relevant key informants
RELEVANCE
COMPLEXITY
Dimension of initiative
Impact strength of initiative
Level of reference of the
initiative
Level of effectiveness
Degree of integration
across multiple social services
Level of stakeholders partecipation
Level of integration of the
initiative
LocalRegional - 1National - 2
Transnational - 3
Productivity improvement- 1Operational change - 2New delivery system - 3
Seldom project references- 1Qualitative project references - 2
Good project references - 3
1 ndash 2 SIP Objectives impacted- 13 ndash 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 2gt 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 3
1 ndash 2 Social Services impacted- 13 ndash 4 Social Services impacted - 2gt 4 Social Services impacted - 3
Public or Private or Third Sector- 1
PublicPrivate or PublicThird Sector or PrivateThird Sector - 2
PublicPrivateThird Sector - 3
Isolated- 1Intra governmental or Inter-governmental 2
Inter-sectorial or Pervasive - 3
SCORE ATTRIBUTIONRULES IN THE
PROCESS MODEL
14
Each interview was based on the gaps identified by the desk research and tailored to the
type of stakeholder to be addressed in order to improve the quality of the data already
gathered Besides providing input for the case reports and the case study analysis this
exercise also contributed to improving the IESI Knowledge Map and the related data
validation process (see IESI analytical framework)5
The subsequent cross-case analysis built on two different and relevant components On
the one hand particular attention was paid to descriptive components such as the type of
initiatives area of social services covered location scale of implementation operational
funding target users stakeholders involved and partnerships built around the initiatives
On the other hand a significant effort was dedicated to identifying the factors that
generate impact social innovation elements ICT-enabled innovation potential levels of
governance integration and type of service integration The analytical framework adopted
for the cross-case analysis takes into consideration the coverage of different elements
which are important for clustering the initiatives as illustrated in Figure 4
Figure 4 Analytical framework
Source own elaboration
The methodology followed to select the cases took into account the level of governance of
service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential they presented The cross-
case analysis focused on the remaining two dimensions of the IESI analytical framework
ie types of service integration6 and elements of social innovation7 (see Misuraca et al
2015)
5 Clearly the sample of initiatives gathered at this stage of the research was not statistically representative of
the universe of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives for the modernisation of social protection systems not only because of its limited size but also because the overall population is unknown Nevertheless it represents a substantial effort towards providing a better and more structured understanding of the field the
critical success factors of policies in that field common patterns and emerging trends 6 According to Misuraca et al 2015 building on Kodner 2009 the integration might be at funding
administrative organisational or delivery system levels More precisely funding integration might be due to the use of funds coming from different sources (eg different public bodies PPPs etc) Administrative integration may be achieved through consolidationdecentralisation of responsibilities andor functions inter-sectorial planning needs assessment or joint purchasing Organisational integration might happen through co-location of services interagency planning contracting strategic alliances or networks building Finally delivery system integration can be achieved through case management informative cooperation multi-disciplinary teamwork etc
7 According to Misuraca et al (2015) building on Bekkers et al (2013) social innovation elements may be described conceptually as (i) needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production (ii) an open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks (iii) a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders and (iv) public value allocation andor re-allocation The IESI research considers and describes where ICTs play a crucial role in the generation of public value (Public value creation) andor in the public value distribution (Public sector social services provision)
15
3 Review of the state of the art
31 Social protection systems in Europe
311 Social investment trends
Since the 80s expenditure has increased mainly on old age insurance and pensions
(Nikolai 2012) However expenditure on education and training family and child benefits
health prevention or active labour market policy has not changed significantly despite
efforts by the European Commission and the advantages associated with the adoption of a
social investment perspective As a result the portfolio of services offered in EU Member
States is inadequate to address current societal challenges In fact the financial gap
between what is needed to address societal challenges and actual social investment in
public services delivery at existing employment levels was estimated by Accenture and
Oxford Economics to reach around $1600 billion in 2025 across 10 countries with a gap of
30 billion for Italy (13 of GDP in 2025) and 170 billion for the UK (54 of GDP)
(2013)
The ESPN Thematic Reports on Social Investment per country 20158 provides insights into
social investment and results at national level For instance Nordic and Anglo-Saxon
countries especially Finland and Ireland present the clearest cases of one-stop-shop
initiatives even if these are still under development The integration of social services
provision in these welfare models is at its most advanced - especially in Sweden and in the
United Kingdom Of the continental countries the Netherlands is the most advanced in
that field together with France Belgium and Luxembourg However the shortage of
resources following the economic crisis is expected to negatively affect the performance of
social service delivery processes in these countries in the mid- to long-term In contrast
harmonization is lacking in some continental countries like Austria and Germany and also
in Denmark (a Nordic Country)
This lack of coordination also exists in most Mediterranean and Central-Eastern European
countries In addition the situation in the latter is expected to worsen because of the
shortage of economic and financial resources straining public administrations and in turn
their capability to afford quality social services delivery Underperforming social services
are common in Mediterranean countries (eg Cyprus Malta and Greece) and in the
Central-Eastern European countries (eg Poland Romania Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic) Croatia and Slovenia are exceptions and represent positive examples of
reforming countries in Central-Eastern Europe Indeed they are in the process of
developing one-stop-shop models to deliver social services to their citizens
In this context the increasing demand for social protection has hindered full
implementation of social investment policies even in those countries where social reforms
started earlier and were implemented through structural changes For instance Sweden
and Denmark have shifted to less costly forms of labour market activation where
counselling replaces training and unemployment benefits have been reduced drastically
According to De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) who examined EU Member States employment
policies in the 1990s and 2000s there have not really been clear and massive shifts from
passive to active expenditure on labour market policies in the EU-15 but expenditure for
both is depleting while participants in active labour market programmes are increasing in
order to be able to receive benefits
Even more alarming is the decrease in public expenditure on families and children
considering the positive correlation between higher rates of women in employment and
poverty reduction and between the availability of early child education and care services
and future career development prospects for children
As for education findings from the OECD Social Report (2014) show that consolidation
efforts halted the long-term trend of rising public spending on education it declined
8 Some of the more relevant findings are analytically reported in the Table 1
16
relative to GDP between 2009 and 2010 in more than half of OECD countries with cuts
especially sharp in Hungary Iceland Italy Sweden Switzerland and the United States
The social investment perspective emerged as a response to changing conditions across
Europe including de-industrialization and increased international competition an ageing
population changing gender roles in labour markets and households and the introduction
and diffusion of new technologies All these factors ndashparticularly the demographic trends -
call for more and better welfare services However the economic and financial crisis has
led EU Member States to contain or even reduce social spending and look for efficiency
gains in social services Thus they hope to do more with fewer resources
312 Welfare systems reforms in Europe
According to recent publications (eg Eriksson Einarsson and Wijkstroumlm 2014
Hemerijck Draumlbing Vis Nelson and Soentken 2013 Morel Palier and Palme 2012)
welfare state reforms have been implemented in all European countries over the past
three decades Initially these reforms were about social and economic policy adjustment
and mainly focused on economic competitiveness Then once the European economic and
monetary union was established EU Member States became more willing to adapt
measures of cost containment together with more active labour market policies such as
subsidized employment and training
From 2000 new emerging societal challenges related to new work values family gender
relations and social integration reinforced by problems such as population ageing de-
industrialization and changing family roles (see eg Esping-Andersen et al 2002) pushed
policy makers to promote more active welfare models Most EU countries initiated
substantial welfare reforms in order to maximize employment restrain early retirement
and reconcile work and family life
According to Hemerijck (2013) Hemerijck et al (2013) and Nelson (2012) there seems
to be no radical changes in welfare reform patterns in Europe Even when changes are
substantial policies do not depart from existing practices (Esping-Andersen et al 2002)
Most reforms represent cumulative policy adjustments across adjacent policy areas Social
investment is another key means of bringing down unemployment by channelling (less
productive) workers into social security programmes and maximizing the rate of
employment
Both the Continental and the Nordic models moved from labour-shedding policies to
employment maximising strategies In addition in the Continental welfare model minimum
income provision was strengthened and there was a shift from male-breadwinner family
support towards family services based on female employment and work-care balance
Though there is a variety of regime-specific measures (Palier 2010 Esping-Andersen
2010) there is also a convergence between social policy and employment objectives in
line with the policy initiatives promoted by the EU agenda to encourage the transformation
of the welfare state (Bouget 2005) This process signals a transition from a
passivecorrective welfare state to a proactive investment strategy more focused on
prevention activation and social servicing (Hay 2004)
Finally in terms of old social policies such as pensions more Member States are making
occupational and private pensions compulsory and have developed systems linking
benefits with actual contributions
To summarise an analysis of the status of implementation of welfare policy reforms in
Europe is presented in Table 1 below It is structured according to the following
dimensions proposed by Hemerijck (2013b) (1) macroeconomic policy (including fiscal
exchange rate and monetary policy) (2) wage bargaining and industrial relations (3)
labour market policy (4) labour market regulation (5) social insurance and social
assistance (6) old age pensions (7) family and social servicing (8) welfare financing
and (9) governance and social policy administration
17
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Macroeconomic policy (including fiscal budget and monetary policy)
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size
Wage bargaining and industrial relations
Collective bargaining agreement not binding introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement
Collective bargaining agreement especially in Italy
Collective bargaining agreement only in a minority of countries introduction of minimum wage
Labour market policy
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning Flexicurity model which is the integration of generous unemployment benefits active labour market policies and flexible labour markets with the aim of improving workforces quality while reducing unemployment
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning some forms of flexicurity
Activation labour policy in Spain
Social insurance and social assistance
Tax cut for low wages support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed older regular workforce and support for the disabled
Support for low wages workers support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Support for disabled long-term unemployed marginal workers as well as short- term unemployed
Limited support for marginal workers mostly for insiders
Support to long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Old age pensions
Increase in retirement age expansion of support to groups having lower income or irregular employment
Flexible retirement age increase in pension age move from a defined benefit to a defined- pay-as-you-go contribution system
Increase in retirement age more flexibility in retirement age partial privatisation of pensions with complementary occupational or private plans
Increase in retirement age linking of the pension formula to contributions in a quasi-actuarial fashion introducing a public notional defined contribution system
Reforms of pension systems through privatization and individualization of savings Before the reforms pension systems were defined as ldquopay as you gordquo ( transfers from public firms to the state budget with scarce contributions from workers
18
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Family and social servicing
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave
Increase of maternity and paternity leave increased access to childcare
Welfare financing
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
In Czech Republic there was a shift from tax financing in order to increase payroll financing In this way social contribution was linked to benefit
Governance and social policy administration
In Ireland from 1994 onwards the state became less involved in the implementation of social policies as for example public employment services were moved to non-statutory agencies
In Denmark the second Rasmussen government reformed the Public Employment Services streamlining the responsibilities for all labour market policies both for insured and uninsured jobseekers under a single National Labour Market Authority
In Germany the Hartz commission recommended the restructuring of the social insurance system and in particular of the German Public Employment Service governance
Source IESI internal elaboration
19
The above table shows that the Nordic and Continental countries implemented structural
reforms earlier than the other countries and in more depth They also pursued synergies
with social investments policies
For example these countries (particularly the Nordic ones) have implemented labour
market policies combined with training life-long learning and flexicurity policies These
policies aim to mitigate inequalities by leveraging human capital and thus the quality of
the workforce while at the same time reducing unemployment
The Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted similar employment policies although these do
not include any form of flexicurity
By contrast the Mediterranean countries ndash with the exception of Spain ndash and the Eastern
European countries did not adopt any significant structural measures to support the
workforce until the crisis In recent years the Mediterranean countries have started to
adopt some reforms of the labour market and other structural reforms addressing their
social protection systems However these are not considered in the above table because
they have not affected society yet
These differences in labour market policies are also apparent in other structural policies
such as old age pension policies Nordic and Continental countries have introduced
flexible retirement age policies and increased the pension age as have other countries
Policy measures to support family and work life balance were adopted to some extent by
most EU Member States at least in relation to the ldquoincrease of maternity and paternity
leaverdquo However only in the Nordic Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare models have
these measures been associated with other measures which support a better balance
between work and life and greater access to childcare and female employment In these
countries the benefits of structural changes in their welfare systems have also been
translated into reduced taxation and rationalized public administration services In most
cases this was accomplished by integrating various social services and creating a single
point of access
The structural reforms allowed Nordic Central European and Anglo-Saxon countries to
also adopt more active social insurance and social assistance policy reforms For
example they were able to introduce tax cuts for low wages workers and to offer more
support to the long-term and short-term unemployed and regular older workers as well
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services
321 Social services delivery
A social services system is generally defined as the (combination) of interventions
programmes and benefits that are provided by governmental civil society and
community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically
disadvantaged individuals and families In this respect social services are mainly
provided by public sector organisations and different levels of government using
traditional public service delivery mechanisms However social services can also be
contracted to private organizations through concessions transfers outsourcing or other
public-private partnerships systems such as framework contracts and service-levels
agreements Contracting out is becoming more and more common citizens and
organizations from the private or the third sector are complementing the public sector in
providing services or are acting as partners in designing and implementing different
service delivery phases Often the design and provision of new innovative services can be
initiated by private or third sector organisations and subsequently incorporated into the
public service delivery system
The Commission Communication on social services of general interest (April 2006 - COM
(2006) 177 final) defines two main categories of social services
20
i ldquoStatutory and complementary social security schemes organised in various ways
(mutual or occupational organisations) covering the main risks of life such as
those linked to health ageing occupational accidents unemployment retirement
and disabilityrdquo
ii ldquoOther essential services provided directly to the person These services that play
a preventive and social cohesion role consist of customised assistance to facilitate
social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights They comprise first of all
assistance for people faced by personal challenges or crises (such as debt
unemployment drug addiction or family breakdown) Secondly they include
activities to ensure that the persons concerned are able to completely reintegrate
into society (rehabilitation language training for immigrants) and in particular
the labour market (occupational training and reintegration) These services
complement and support the role of families in caring for the youngest and oldest
members of society in particular Thirdly these services include activities to
integrate persons with long-term health or disability problems Fourthly they also
include social housing providing housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially
less advantaged groupsrdquo
By the same token according to EC (2010) social services improve citizensrsquo quality of life
by helping to tackle issues such as market externalities information asymmetries
distributional concerns agency problems natural monopolies public goods and services
(Cichon et al 2004 Greve 2002) Welfare states have several instruments they can use
to remedy these negative externalities eg governments are able to tax public ldquobadsrdquo
(Albrecht 2006)
The social services delivery systems carry out the following series of functions
Provision of care and support which is obviously the key function of Personal
Social Services (PSS - which include PSSGI) systems Each country decides which
sectors provide the services and how and who receives them under what
circumstances
Community development and care coordination because all systems have to
figure out and coordinate efficiently additional non-state resources due to the fact
that limited funding is available for services
Social control consisting of the enforcement of societal rules and procedures and
also societal norms For example mentally ill individuals and young offenders can
act in ways that are not in their own interests and can also represent a threat to
other citizens
Protection especially of children older people and the disabled who can be
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation
Regulation countries have adopted a decentralized mixed economy in which the
central state plays a crucial role in regulating PSS by setting standards and
monitoring developments
Social integration of excluded groups into mainstream society
The stakeholders responsible for the above functions belong to three main sectors
The public sector including local regional and central government Personal social
services can be provided by individual departments or as part of larger
departments such as social security health and education
The for-profit sector which is growing in size and relevance in some EU countries
(eg United Kingdom) The organizations operating in this sector are sometimes
difficult to distinguish from the ones operating in the voluntary non-profit sector
The only criterion that may differentiate these two sectors is an annual budget
surplus in the former
21
The voluntary non-profit sectors (consisting in self-help groups like the Alcoholics
Anonymous or NGOs) These use both paid and unpaid resources and volunteers
working inside or outside formal schemes
The evidence collected in this research suggests the following common trends in policy
reforms
Promotion of targeted programmes for the social and economic integration of
socially unprotected families by distributing social protection funds and
operational activities that target not only households but also specific individuals
according to their social and economic needs
Reconsideration of social protection systems in terms of not only existing
operations problems and service provision but also the needs of future
generations in order to ensure their sustainability
Introduction of roadmaps consisting of specific steps to improve social protection
It is worth noting that the use of ICTs boosts the operational transformation in social
services delivery processes in the above mentioned trends in policy reforms For
example it allows
An open-government approach and also the re-use of data through electronic
channels and across the entire public sector
The use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) in the 2014-2020
period to further finance ICT-based developments in healthcare with a view to
ensuring better connectivity between and among national healthcare systems
The integration of systems across departments and public authorities This allows
data and processes to be automatically shared so that support can be tailored by
predictive analytics based on evidence of what works for different customer
groups
The collection of information on policy interventions in order to build evidence to
inform future policy design
Online access to all transactions information and services
322 Social services integration
To cope with the societal challenges and demands for social services mentioned in the
previous subsection new approaches to service delivery are necessary The literature
review carried out shows that service delivery should have the following characteristics
Integrated services human resources management and social service delivery
model design need to be integrated in order to create more effective solutions for
people at risk and for disadvantaged groups Governments are exploring the
potential of integrating their various systems and service models to provide a
single point of customer service This will reduce administrative costs and increase
efficiency by removing duplication Moreover eliminating barriers to access and
offering a more user-centric approach would improve service efficiency and user
satisfaction
Shared services combining back-office processes reduces costs and increases the
effectiveness of service delivery Moreover sharing administrative systems and
processes allows governments to better leverage their technology and service
provider budgets Some governments have taken this approach further making
use of cloud technology to provide infrastructure and systems as a service
offering greater agility and responsiveness to their human resources and social
service agencies
22
Public Private Partnership (PPP) models PPPs can help achieve cost-efficiencies
By contracting services out to the private sector governments might be able to
reduce overheads focus on core service components and achieve greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment Moreover PPPs can achieve
greater efficiency as private organizations seek to reduce costs while maintaining
high levels of service delivery However to maximize the value of PPPs
governments must mitigate the risks associated with third-sector relationships
They must also structure reimbursement in a way that incentivizes efficiency and
positive outcomes while preventing fraud and abuse
Greater accountability governments are also trying to increase the impact of their
services by strengthening financial and accounting systems Thus they not only
achieve greater effectiveness but also enhance their ability to detect fraud and
address system inefficiencies Furthermore governments are also experimenting
with dynamic pay-for-performance models in existing markets through PPPs This
kind of model embeds the principles of accountability into service provision and
creates programmes that are focused on outcomes rather than processes
According to KPMG (2013) ldquoservices integrationrdquo denotes efforts to increase the
coordination of operations within human resources and social services systems Its
overall aim is to improve efficiency and client outcomes As shown in Figure 5 below
the integration process can be depicted as a continuum from no integration to full
integration
Figure 5 The integration continuum
Source KPMG 2013
The provision of integrated services offers the following advantages from an operational
perspective
increased capacity and value for money by reducing duplication in administrative
processes
improved strategic planning and system integrity as the sharing of information
between different agencies and programme areas improves the understanding of
service usage patterns and client needs
bull A highly fragmented
system with service
delivery organizations
working in isolation
No Integration
bull Informal cooperation between practitioners
bull Sharing of facilities and overheads but no integration of service
Partial Integration
bull Some formal sharing of resources and joint planning
bull I n f o r m a t i o n o n m u l t i p l e s e r v i c e s availability
Limited integration
bull Integrated staffing
funding technology
applications service
delivery tools and case management
Full integration
23
reduced demand for emergency services since smoother and more coordinated
assistance can help stabilise the conditions of clients thus reducing the need for
more costly crisis interventions
Moreover integrated services offer clients the following advantages
simplified access through one-stop-shops and integrated online portals
holistic and customized support through better understanding of their needs
faster response times as streamlined back-office systems improve processing
times
improved outcomes and user experience as better sequencing and coordination of
interventions can improve client outcomes over time
The key enablers of services integration can be represented and explained as shown in
Figure 6 below
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation
Source KPMG 2013
It is useful to briefly examine the three main drivers of service integration
Demographic transition more and more individuals are affected by a range of
different conditions and use multiple services Advances in technology have made
it possible to link information across programme areas and identify individuals
with complex needs In addition population ageing is prompting the redesign of
the provision of care for the aged because of sustainability challenges for care
providers changing family dynamics and structures high levels of household
debt and declining private pension coverage These factors mean that more older
people will rely on care provided by government rather than relatives or personal
savings
KEY ENABLERS
bull Electronic client records data analytics and interoperable technologies have enabled the identification of at-risk clients and a better understanding of service usage Coordinated case management and the more targeted use of resources have been possible as a result
bull Advances in data encryption and the proliferation of internet usage and mobile computing devices have allowed more clients to self-serve
through integrated web portals secure online accounts and mobile device applications
bull Data sharing legislation has facilitated
seamless referrals and integrated case
management between government
agencies and providers from the private
and not-for-profit sectors
bull Governments have sought to ensure pract it ioner compliance through
enshrining integration initiatives in
legislation
Legislation
bull Combined working groups staff co-
l o c a t i o n a n d j o i n t t r a i n i n g
arrangements are enabling knowledge
transfer and collaboration between
agencies levels of government andor
different sectors bull Transformed training recruitment
communi cation and performance
management practices are addressing
skills gaps and supporting new ways of
working New roles are being created and existing jobs redesigned
Workforce development
Technology
bull Payment-for-performance funding models (where providers are rewarded for improving client outcomes) are promoting the use of coordinated interventions to address social problems
bull The introduction of personal budgets is enabling service users and case managers to bypass organizational silos and purchase a mix of
support services from providers In doing so greater choice and autonomy is driving the creation of a social services marketplace
bull Pooled ldquoplace-basedrdquo budgets are producing clear incentives to coordinate services around local needs bull Joint commissioning enables agencies to overcome barriers to sharing resources and coordinating investment
bull Contracting and tendering reforms are being used to incentivize collaboration among third party service providers
Funding and contracting
24
Client expectations digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can
interface with service providers across a range of industries They now expect to
be able to access information and services through the web and mobile devices
Human and social services leaders are responding to these cultural changes and
new usage patterns by developing a range of new digital platforms including
integrated websites online accounts and smartphone and tablet apps
Economic pressures the global economic downturn has caused a rise in
unemployment (particularly long-term) in many countries Governments have
started to bring together services to address the demand and supply-side barriers
that prevent individuals from finding sustained employment However at the
same time high levels of sovereign debt have led to public sector austerity
measures in many developed economies This makes the issue of more cost-
effective service delivery one of the top priorities in policy agendas
As regards integrated services provision the following trends need to be considered
Client pathways aim to provide a more targeted and personalized approach that
enables clients with complex needs to receive coordinated services and support In
addition they enable most clients to serve themselves through streamlined access
points This trend also applies to government interventions which target the way
clients engage with services Governments are building capacity in big data analytics
as the growing complexity of datasets makes client patterns difficult to identify
without approaches of this kind
Focus on outcomes service providers are increasingly expected to deliver
demonstrable improvements in client outcomes Governments are increasingly
investing in building an evidence base for services integration They are developing
funding regimes linked to measurable outcomes and coordinating upstream
interventions that focus on prevention Service delivery providers are testing a range
of techniques and tools which encourage case workers and clients to focus on
achieving a set of agreed outcomes
bull Online access secure online accounts that allow users to navigate and access
programmes have become the norm in many jurisdictions
Inter-governmental integration there is growing recognition that greater
coordination between different levels of government is essential to improve system
integrity It reduces both duplication and gaps in service provision and enables
comprehensive responses to clientsrsquo complex needs Examples of government actions
in this respect include
Joint commissioning through joint-commissioning governments at different
levels find ways to combine resources align incentives and optimize system level
outcomes
Interoperability new frameworks tools and technologies are being developed
to enable systems to interact and exchange information across different levels of
government
bull Inter-sectorial integration governments are increasingly seeking opportunities to
build partnerships with service providers in the private and not-for-profit sectors
because of the significant role they play in delivering publicly-funded services The
current service delivery sector is highly fragmented and uncoordinated Therefore
individuals and families in need of support must navigate a confusing array of
providers and services In an attempt to solve this issue governments are taking the
following actions
o Network integration governments bring together community agencies in
formal networks to offer clients seamless support as they move through family
support services
25
o Resource sharing many governments make information available through
open data portals others have set up common client databases and removed
barriers that have previously have prevented the sharing of client information
across sectors finally some governments are engaged in staff co-location
o Funding and contracting governments have streamlined contracting
processes by standardizing terms and consolidating contracts They also use
funding to incentivize community sector consolidation collaboration and
social enterprise and to produce joint investment strategies
o Location-based integration there is growing support for the notion that
complex social problems are best addressed through coordinated local-level
interventions Governments have begun to undertake location-based planning
which has led to the restructuring of human resources and social services
departments along geographical rather than programme lines This gives them
a better understanding of local needs and enables them to react more
effectively to local needs
323 The one-stop-shop model
A typical example of services integration is the ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo model Following Askim
et al (2011) a ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo can be defined as an organizational model in which
service users are provided with a single entry point into the welfare system This model
is used to improve coordination in welfare services provision and takes various forms
such as fully integrated and physically co-located services virtual information portals
frontlines of complex single agencies or umbrella structures for several agencies
The participant structure of ldquoone stop shopsrdquo may be thought of as a variable In some
cases this structure can be quite simple for instance when a single agency with a wide
task portfolio implements a ldquoone stop shoprdquo for its customers In other cases the
structure is more complex For example the ldquoone stop shoprdquo may operate on top of
partner organizations and aim to maximize the convenience to the clients of all partners
through service integration operating as an intergovernmental partnership In this case
partner organisations remain separate but parts of their services are integrated
Coordination in ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo usually occurs when policy best meets citizensrsquo needs
ldquoOne-stop shopsrdquo represent a mechanism for increasing accessibility enhancing bottom-
up accountability achieving greater efficiency and reducing transaction costs and
duplications from the perspective of citizens providers and governments Kubicek and
Hagen (2001) distinguish between ldquofirst stop shopsrdquo ldquoconvenience storesrdquo and true ldquoone-
stop shopsrdquo The ldquofirst stop shoprdquo merely points citizens to relevant services In this case
clients have to take at least one more step which implies substantial pro-active
involvement on their part The ldquoconvenience storerdquo model is when several transactional
services are located in a single office or on one website In this case citizens are also
required to take further steps themselves The final type the lsquodepartment storersquo or true
one stop shop integrates specific client groups andor focuses services around specific
life events or administrative matters affecting citizens
The key dimensions defining ldquoone stop shopsrdquo with associated values are presented in
Table 2 Although the values presented are binary each variable can be thought as a
continuum with ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo located in the continuum between these two values
The first dimension is the tasks portfolio which represents the range of services
delivered The breadth of the task portfolio (narrow vs broad) corresponds to the range
of policy areas covered As an example some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo only deal with
unemployment while others offer services in other areas such as pensions welfare
benefits and social services The depth (shallow vs deep) refers to work processes
some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo provide only partial product closure (ie information or
26
signposting only) while others provide complete product closure (ie information
advice assistance to the application processes and case closure)
We also differentiate ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo according to how autonomous they are Those
with low autonomy where participation is compulsory have little discretion in terms of
budget management and organization Those with high autonomy where participation
is voluntary have a high degree of discretion in terms of budget management and
organization
They can also be distinguished in terms of participant structure Simple structures
include only a few partners and a single public level of government and complex
structures involve several agencies and levels of government as well as a mix of public
and private actors
Proximity to citizens is another factor services can be distant (eg regionally-based
service) or close (eg locally-based neighbourhood services virtually accessible in
citizensrsquo own homes)
Finally if we look at the instruments (tools or mechanisms) used to facilitate joint
working we can distinguish between low integration when the services are located
together but managed separately and high integration with joint management budget
and recruitment
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops
Variable Values and Examples
Tasks portfolio
Narrow Broad
Few policy areas eg employment only
More policy areas eg pensions welfare benefits social services
Shallow Deep
Information signposting only (only partial product closure)
Information + advice + assistance with applications case closure on the spot (complete product closure)
Participant structure
Simple Complex
Few agencies Multiple agencies
One municipality Several municipalities
One level of government Several levels of government
Public sector only Mix of public private NGOs
Autonomy Low High
Compulsory participation in one stop shop
Voluntary participation in one stop shop
Little discretion in terms of budget management
organization
High discretion in terms of budget management organization
Proximity to citizen
Distant Close
Regionally based service Locally based neighbourhood service virtual service accessible in own home
Instruments Low integration High integration
Co-located services but separately managed
Joint management joint budgets joint recruitment personal shopper
Source Askim et al 2011
27
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision
331 ICTs supporting the transformation of social service delivery
In general terms the use of ICTs has an impact on the transformation of social service
delivery as it facilitates targeting by identifying beneficiaries more effectively It also
improves payment mechanisms allowing savings on operational costs (time and human
resources) and on benefits provided (avoiding double allowances) Their use also makes
interventions more effective (thanks to greater accuracy) and encourages greater trust in
government through better user experience
ICTs can be used as a vehicle to increase accountability and to transform and extend the
reach of service delivery to the underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient
manner In fact ICTs are able to increase accessibility inclusivity and flexibility in
service delivery allowing more citizens to interact with government with the flexibility of
choice offered by multiple delivery channels and in more convenient timeframes
Thus governments can transform the way services are delivered by using ICTs rather
than simply cutting back on social services in the face of budget deficits Following Booz
et al (2005) we describe four main waves of ICT adoption by governments in Figure 7
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments
Source Booz et al (2005)
The first wave focused on improving access and connectivity and was largely concerned
with the development of infrastructure The second wave provided add-ons to existing
services through online provision The third wave led by efficiency agendas focused on
the automation of existing processes Governments have re-engineered their business
processes and implemented faster ones enabled by ICTs Thus ICTs have played an
important role in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of government services
even though more integrated and citizen-centric service delivery still requires further
transformation of business processes to adopt and respond to new technologies This will
be achieved in the fourth wave in which the traditional channels for running the back-
office of government become ICT-enabled and seamlessly integrated In this stage
governments will shift from re-engineering existing processes to envisioning completely
new ways of implementing service delivery
28
The framework proposed by Booz et al in 2005 is still valid from a conceptual
standpoint However it is clear that more recent developments in ICT adoption in
government and more specifically in social services delivery processes (which are highly
knowledge intensive and where ICTs can therefore play an important role) need to be
considered This is especially the case in what could be considered as a fifth wave which
would include the adoption of new technological architectures These will enable the use
of interception techniques management and analysis of structured and non-structured
data (Big Data Analytics) and the production and use of public data in a linked format
(BOLD ndash Big Open Linked data) The latter will intersect with single users personalised
approaches exploiting multi-device and multi-channel logics (eg web social mobile)
This is will make it easier to use ICTs as the main means of developing different
pathways for the management of social services They will allow the application of an
end-user centric approach and the development of new services at the point of need
They will also leverage new horizontal forms of cooperation based on social innovation
principles
Therefore in line with the overall literature review and recent trends not yet fully
considered by most scholars in the field the transformation of social service delivery can
be enabled by ICTs along the following dimensions
Degree of integration across multiple social services This is an important
aspect of the contribution made by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to the
modernisation of social protection systems in light of current trends It represents
the capability of social innovation initiatives to achieve the aim of social
investment policies namely delivering social services which increase institutional
complementarities and ensure the integration of policy measures (EC 2015)
Degree of stakeholder participation in the social service delivery model
This is another important aspect of the impact of ICT-enabled social innovation It
represents the capability of initiatives to develop a collaborative service delivery
model (across public private and non-governmental operators) ICT-enabled
social innovation initiatives are able to integrate multi-stakeholder perspectives in
the co-design and co-creation of innovative solutions of social services delivery
processes (Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) ICTs can be the engine for new
forms of horizontal ndash and to some extent circular ndash subsidiarity and for entirely
new and disruptive innovation in the social and human services sector Thus they
support the emergence of new public private and mixed (hybrids) markets and
new value propositions at the crossroads between market and social protection
systems
Key transformation dimensions enabled by different combinations of ICTs may include
More accessible data Here ICTs could support
o the demand side by allowing providers to extract detailed information on
the needs profile of each user via web and social semantic mechanisms
This would give them information on new service opportunities assistance
needs and other useful items of information in a near real time
communication protocol
o the supply side by providing through big data and visual analytics
detailed and valuable information on the current social service system
capacity obtaining data from Web sectoral or relevant databases and
other structured or unstructured data sources (Linked Open Data)
Better knowledge The cloud and distributed knowledge management platforms
enable in-depth analysis of current markets They aggregate data via a well-
structured semantic interoperability approach and big data and visual analytics
technologies They enable in-depth evaluations of future scenarios thanks to data
mining and agent-based approaches
29
Better regulation Information deriving from all the actors involved in the
process could enrich the knowledge management environment thus enabling
institutions to adopt measures to improve processes (Process Changes) from a
regulatory and an operational point of view
Sirovatka-Greve (2015) identified four streams in the discussion of social innovation in
public services
The role of innovation in the knowledge economy (Room 2005) this focuses on
how innovation in technologies and in management can be applied to the
provision of public services
Public sector innovation (Bloch 2010) looking at how to support the private
sector in its efforts to innovate
Governance models (for instance decentralisation marketization or partnerships)
as sources of innovation (Van Berkel et al 2011)
Grass-roots organisations and initiatives how they can be empowered and
supported to innovate (Klein and Harrison 2007)
These four interrelated streams point to social innovation as a way of modernising public
sector systems adapting them to citizensrsquo needs and expectations better and more
economically sustainable
ICTs potential for enhancing innovation in social services could go beyond simply making
new products available or improving efficiency in management practices They can foster
a key characteristic of social innovation namely its capacity to bring together a broad
range of stakeholders facilitating their efforts to jointly build new and better answers to
ever-changing societal needs in spite of shrinking public budgets ICTs have enabled new
organisational business and value models Technological skills are often instrumental to
capacity building and to the empowerment of all operators engaged in the delivery of
social services innovation These skills may result in more sustainable individual and
collective behaviour and in self-regulation processes
332 ICTs enabling changes in social services delivery models
According to Van Berkel et al (2011) reforms in service delivery systems have been
traditionally related to three main movements decentralisation (political or
administrative) marketization (contracting-out or strengthening competition among
providers) and new public management (performance indicators incentives and
controlmonitoring mechanisms)
To better understand the contribution ICTs can make to the process of change in social
service delivery models it might be useful to consider another approach ie one that
looks at the link between the reform in service delivery systems and the social needs
primarily addressed in specific fields of social services
First of all ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can contribute to better
coordination among citizens and social services actors or beneficiaries and
formal and informal caregivers The aim of these ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to increase coordination and collaboration amongst those for example who
care for chronically-ill patients at home Here ICTs can act as an enabling factor that
drives the organizational transformation of service delivery A major advantage of ICTs is
that they provide case management services customized to the changing needs of the
patients and their relatives at the point of need In addition they can strengthen inter-
governmental integration and inter-sectorial communication among care providers ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives can increase the productivity of the workforce and
the cost-effectiveness of the service delivery process They can also ensure the overall
sustainability of the service in the mid to long term
30
Secondly ICTs encourage active inclusion and provide support to the care
practices communities The aim of these types of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to empower ageing people by increasing their capabilities to care for
themselves and at the same time to support their inclusion in society In this ICTs are
fundamental ldquogame changersrdquo substantially transforming care services delivery In line
with the SIP objectives they promote active inclusion and help to make significant
savings in care services delivery (eg less unplanned hospitalizations for adverse events
and increase of productivity of the care workforce)
Furthermore the contribution of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives may be seen
when we look at innovations for home care services delivery This type of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiative is the most frequently implemented because it is
recognised that home care for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF
etc) and ageing patients in general is much better than hospital care In contrast to the
previous cases the ICT focus here is on monitoring technologies (mainly sensors and
actuators) that can provide health professionals with data and information automatically
about patientsrsquo health status and allow a virtual nearly real-time interaction with them
These technologies can be ldquogame-changersrdquo in the modernisation of care services as
they enable a disruptive transformation of the care processes for these patients
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can also be game changers in integrating work
and care This type of initiative also fits in well with structural reforms that aim to allow
individuals of working age to remain productive and employable for longer than before
In addition ICT-enabled social innovation can contribute to transforming service delivery
models through better integration between employment and life-long learning
services throughout individualsrsquo lives They address the need to leverage the knowledge
capital of individuals and maintain the employability of Europeans at a high level In
these cases ICT-enabled social innovation can enable e-learning services and thus
maintain individualsrsquo employability levels over time andor to better integrate the back
offices of organizations which match job demand with job offer In more advanced cases
ICT can also be ldquogame changersrdquo by proactively integrating life-long learning services
with the automatic identification of skills gaps so that jobseekers meet job offer
requirements These initiatives increase individualsrsquo employability throughout their
working lives
ICTs also contribute to change by better integrating work family and social
inclusion These types of initiatives help individuals to cope with childcare keeping
them included in society and allowing them to participate in labour markets ICT-enabled
social innovation solutions facilitate the identification of the best service providers and
the coordination of public and private offers of childcare services for families They also
enhance the integration of public and private actors in their efforts to cover the whole
spectrum of childcare services These initiatives have an impact on the modernisation of
social services as they allow for example better synchronization of the public and
private offer of childcare services which in turn increases their cost-effectiveness They
also minimize vacancies andor overbooking of childcare services and reduce the
negative externalities affecting parents for instance reconciling family life social
inclusion and work
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives also improve the delivery of social inclusion
services for the homeless This type of services addresses the needs of homeless
people living in urban centres Homelessness is a complex problem which requires the
provision of structural solutions and at the same time first-aid interventions which cut
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
ICT-enabled social innovation in this case can support both sides of homeless peoples
needs as it can provide a more cost effective means of collaboration and coordination
between public and private actors involved in the delivery of a service ICTs can in fact
act as a ldquogame-changerrdquo by using information technology to help public and private
31
actors understand better the behaviour of homeless people and provide more effective
services at the point of need ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can significantly
improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery models
Finally ICT-enabled social innovation fosters the development of one-stop-shops
This is another type of social innovation initiative for the modernisation of social services
delivery in which ICTs can play a relevant role as already discussed
333 Enabling factors and barriers
Social innovation is a very high priority on the European political agenda (Haxeltine et al
2013 BEPA 2014) not only because it is seen as a new way to address social issues
oversaw by both private and public sectors but also because of the complex social
economic and environmental challenges which affect society
Social protection systems in EU Member States are facing a double challenge First they
must address contingency needs with reduced budgets as a consequence of the crisis
Second they must respond to the needs emerging from structural changes including
evolving social preferences and behaviours demographic change technological
innovations etc
As already discussed the public sector is having difficulties in addressing these
challenges Furthermore social services have not up until now been profitable enough for
the private sector Civil society and citizens however are finding new ways of providing
structural and sustainable answers to these challenges through social innovation
In this context promoting social innovation within social policies entails
Adopting an investment approach which is coherent with the anticipated societal
needs
Mobilising a wide range of actors other than the usual social sector actors
Combining skillsbackgroundculture and business in ways which differ from
traditional business solutions
It also requires policy makers and the public sector in general to provide a suitable
environment in which these efforts can flourish They must also embed social innovation
initiatives in the public sector transformation process Policy initiatives should also
provide incentives which would encourage private investors to become involved in social
investment They may then find new paradigms and business models which would give
them a return on their investments and at the same time have a positive social impact
(Bugg-Levine amp Emerson 2011 Epstein amp Yuthas 2014)
As recognized by Caulier-Grice et al (2012) the distinguishing element of social
innovation is that it can ldquomeet societal needsrdquo in more effective ways than other
approaches by ldquoenhancing society capacity to act and often entails changes in social and
power relationsrdquo Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises play an important role
because they can rdquocreate social values that is seen as the creation of benefits or
reduction of costs for society ndash through efforts that address social need and problems ndash
in ways that go beyond the private gains and general benefits of market activityrdquo (Phills
et al 2008)
Both social investment perspectives and social innovation policies aim to address
relevant societal needs and contribute to the sustainable development of society Both
put the individual at the centre of the decision process
The complementarities between social investment perspectives and social policy
innovation are presented in Table 3 below
32
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation
Source IESI internal elaboration inspired by Hautamaki (2010)
According to Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin (2014) the main message coming from social
innovation initiatives is that ldquothey are the opposite of quick-fix solutions using their full
potential requires nothing less than a combination of lsquothe deep strategies of chess
masters with the quick tactics of acrobatsrsquo The lifecycles of social innovations (processes
of emergence stabilisation and scaling up) are very conditional and are not available
simply at the press of a buttonrdquo
Social innovation is the focus of a whole range of European Commission policy initiatives
the European platform against poverty and social exclusion the Innovation Union the
Social Business Initiative the Employment and Social Investment packages the Digital
Agenda the new industrial policy the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy
Ageing and Cohesion Policy Furthermore many social innovation projects have been
funded by Structural Funds Social innovation has been explicitly integrated into the
Structural Funds Regulations for 2014-2020 This opens up possibilities for Member
States and regions to invest in social innovation both through the ERDF and the ESF
A recent report provides information on policies adopted by the EU to support the
introduction of social innovation in public service modernisation processes (Hubert
Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) In particular it recognizes that the public sector will achieve
greater gains in quality efficiency fairness transparency and accountability only by
following social innovation principles like
Co-designing and co-creating innovative solutions (with other Member States
other parts of government businesses the third sector and citizens)
Adopting new and collaborative service delivery models (across public private and
non-governmental actors both within and across national borders)
Embracing creative disruption from technology (the pervasive use of social media
mobility big data cloud computing packaged in new digital government
offerings)
Adopting an attitude of experimentation and entrepreneurship (government itself
needs to become bolder and more entrepreneurial) ldquo
To understand how social innovation can contribute in practice to social investments and
to the modernisation of the social protection and social security systems in Europe an in-
depth analysis of case studies of emerging social innovation initiatives was carried out as
described in the next chapter
Social investment policy Social policy innovation
Basic value
Mitigation of inequalities across social groups through economic development and employment growth
Wellbeing and sustainable development
Type of policy
Supply-driven with focus on human capital development and efficient use throughout the life course of the individuals
Demand-driven with beneficiaries at the centre of the decision process
Level of implementation National level Regional-local level
Field of action National Global
Actors addressed Mainly single institution (now) Inter-institutional complementarities (trend)
Multi-stakeholders
Implementation process Direction and control from above (top-down)
Enabling spontaneous processes and experiments and competitions (bottom-up)
33
4 Cases overview
41 Main characteristics
As described in Chapter 2 a two-step approach based on a multi-criteria analysis and the
IESI conceptual framework was used to define a set of successful or promising cases for
further study A brief overview of the 14 selected cases is presented in Table 4 below
Table 4 Selected Case Studies
Initiative Acronym Country Area of service Welfare model
A Book for a Roof A Book for a Roof
Croatia Education and training - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Central Eastern Europe
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
ACTION Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Nordic
Badalona Assistance Services
BSA Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Mediterranean
Crossroads Bank for Social Security
CBSS Belgium Social care - Social assistance Employment - Civic engagement
Continental
Online Point of Single Contact
EESTIEE Estonia Civic engagement - Social care - Social assistance - Childcare - Education and training - Social housing - Employment - Social inclusion participation - Independent living
Central Eastern European
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
EKSOTE Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Nordic
Digitalisation of social security services
INPS Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement
Mediterranean
Little bird Little Bird Germany Childcare Continental
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
PASS Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Anglo-Saxon
Reform of employee
insurance implementation institution
PES Netherla
nds Employment - Employability - Social assistance
Continental
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web
Pocircle Emploi
France Employment - Employability
Continental
Strategy for Digital Welfare
SDW Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Nordic
National Telecare Development Programme
TDP Scotland UK
Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Anglo-Saxon
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
W2W Poland Employment - Employability
Central Eastern Europe
Source IESI internal elaboration
Some of the above initiatives have had a significant impact on the modernisation of
processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services at national level
These have a specific focus on the simplification of citizen access to social services and
the sustainability of social protection services for example the digitalization of services
(INPS) in Italy Estoniarsquos single point of contact (EESTIEE) the employee insurance
implementation institution (PES) in the Netherlands and the strategy for digital welfare
(SDW) in Denmark
34
Some of the selected initiatives focus solely on employment and employability PES Pocircle
Emploi and Express Train to Employment (W2W) These initiatives provide e-services for
jobseekers and employers at national level Other cases focus mainly on education and
training but also seek to improve social inclusion and the employability of beneficiaries
(eg A book for a Roof)
All the selected initiatives present a high degree of transferability In fact the service
models implemented in some of the initiatives have already been transferred to other
policy areas andor other geographical areas or are based on experiences in other
contexts for example Little Bird and W2W
The selected cases provide good coverage of the different types of actors generally
involved in ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives from the public private and third
sector The latter especially play a prominent role in some of the selected cases both as
initiative promoters and as active partners for example Pathway Accommodation amp
Support System (PASS) and A Book for a Roof
As shown in Figure 8 which illustrates the geographical distribution of the selected
initiatives the five welfare systems are covered fairly equally In addition as many
different EU countries as possible are included Each case represents a different country
and 14 different countries have therefore been covered in our analysis
Figure 8 Geographical distribution
Source IESI internal elaboration
Moreover the initiatives analysed represent all the PSSGI areas As shown in Table 5
below most of the initiatives because of the nature of the services offered and their
level of integration involve more than one type of social services
This is in line with the objectives of the IESI research It aims to explore initiatives which
have potential systemic effects on social protection systems and therefore considers the
ICT-enabled social innovation ecosystem (Misuraca et al 2015) in which each initiative
is embedded rather than individual practices focusing on a single area
35
Table 5 Social services addressed
Initiativersquos acronym
Country N of
PSSGI involved
Primary focus area
Additional focus areas
A Book for a Roof
Croatia 5 Education and training
Social Inclusion participation Civic engagement Social Assistance Employment
ACTION Sweden 5 Active Healthy Ageing
Independent living Integrated health- and social care Social Assistance Education and training
BSA Spain 3
Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
CBSS Belgium 4 Social Care Social Assistance Employment Civic engagement
EESTIee Estonia 9 Civic Engagement
Social Care Social assistance Childcare Education and training Social Housing Employment Social inclusionparticipation Independent living
EKSOTE Finland 2 Integrated health- and social care
Social Care
INPS Italy 4 Social Assistance
Social Care Social Inclusionparticipation Civic engagement
Little Bird Germany 1 Childcare None
PASS Ireland 2 Social Housing Social Assistance
PES Netherlands 3 Employment Employability Social Assistance
Pocircle Emploi France 2 Employability Employability Employment
SDW Denmark 5 Social Assistance
Social Care Education and training Integrated health- and social care Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
TDP United Kingdom
3 Independent living
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
W2W Poland 2 Employability Employment
Source IESI internal elaboration
Figure 9 shows the distribution of the selected cases across all the PSSGI covered by
the 14 selected cases It shows that the initiatives deal mostly with the following social
services areas social inclusionparticipation (17 of all initiatives) social assistance
(14) education and training (14) employability (12) and active and healthy ageing
(with all sub-areas combined 10)
36
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services
Source IESI internal elaboration
As explained in Chapter 2 the initiatives were assessed and selected against two
dimensions namely the level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled
innovation potential Figure 10 below illustrates the distribution of the selected
initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map where they have been located according to their
level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map
Source IESI internal elaboration
37
42 Areas of focus across the case studies
As already underlined in Section 2 the selected initiatives have high scores for at least
one of the two following dimensions ICT-enabled innovation potential and level of
governance of service integration The cross-case analysis therefore focuses on the other
two dimensions discussed namely the most significant social innovation elements which
characterise the initiatives and the type of service integration achieved or targeted
421 Social innovation focus
Our analysis shows that some initiatives which were conceived in order to meet new
emerging needs in the context of more complex societal challenges are either rooted in
or give rise to wider ranging structural changes at organizational and management level
(including at governance level) This type of structural change allows the creation and
allocation of new public value for citizens These initiatives normally target a wide
variety of beneficiaries and relevant needs see INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP
For example the implementation of the INPS (IT) initiative well represents a process
whose main initial objective was to move toward a need drivenoutcome-oriented service
production This required a complete redesign of the entire service production process
and the active contribution of all the stakeholders involved such as other public
administrations private intermediaries (Unions Tax Assistance Centres Labour market
consultants) and public and private job centres which resulted in a fundamental change
in the relationship between stakeholders It also transformed completely the traditional
way of managing running and controlling social security services using a new model
based on a client pathway approach This initiative is highly innovative since it improves
access to services in a one-stop shop approach allows the traceability of accounts and
enhances the accountability and transparency of the overall system
PASS (IE) is another good example of structural change and complete innovation in the
design of services for homeless people The overall need was to ensure better
coordination between the different institutions and private operators in the delivery of
services to homeless people The initiative has become a comprehensive client
management system for homeless service users which also provides statistical
information on homeless peoplersquos profiles and their use of the services The initiative has
become a powerful strategic instrument in the fight against homelessness PASS allows
us to identify emerging issues faced by the homeless it facilitates cooperation among
different agencies in order to provide a continuum of care and integrated assistance and
allows better planning of future services In this case the development of user pathways
in and out of the homeless service system which focus on individual needs rather than
on a specific group has also been central to the success of the initiative The system
produces statistical information on the homeless population which is being used by
public and private stakeholders to plan and manage programmes and strategies The
support provided to the homeless is therefore more effective and answers their needs
better This approach is more typical of the Anglo-Saxon welfare model in which private
sector actors are more involved in delivery systems
SDW (DK) is a digital strategy which aims to foster more cohesive welfare through
greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among administrations and stakeholders by
making use of ICTs It also seeks to create better opportunities to improve citizensrsquo
everyday lives in many areas such as healthcare social care labour market and
education through technologies Furthermore the digital transformation of welfare
services gives managers and employees in the public sector a more active role for
instance in motivating and assisting citizens to use technological solutions and get the
most out of them It makes the public sector more dynamic and innovative and capable
of delivering services of high quality As in other Nordic welfare social protection
systems social innovation in SDW is more about complementing and improving existing
public sector-led initiatives where the public sector plays a pivotal role in their success
than creating new services
38
Finally TDP (Scotland) and BSA (ES) allocate public value to citizens by integrating the
health and the social care sectors This facilitates the alignment of service funding and
incentives the promotion of inter-professional teams across the continuum of care as
and strong focused and diverse governance representing all stakeholders These
initiatives also foster a culture of cohesion which while familiar in the Anglo- Saxon
welfare model is more unusual and innovative in the Mediterranean welfare model
Nevertheless all the cases analysed in this section (INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP)
are the result of the general public spending review process in place at a national level
which encourages an overall rethinking of the ldquoapproach to clientrdquo in order to remain
sustainable over time
422 Social Service focus
Other initiatives focus on the social service itself Here the aim is to improve the match
between demand and supply with regard to a specific need These initiatives are
therefore mostly needs-driven and devoted to enhancing the outcomes of the
social protection system They consist of adapting the service supply and its delivery to
evolving needs It is quite a common priority of social protection systems in the Nordic
and Continental European welfare models and it appears in initiatives with a clearly
defined target service and a specific class of beneficiaries
PES (NL) focuses on building an accessible virtual market place in order to bridge the
gap between job seekers with difficulties to enter the labour market (mainly people with
disabilities) and employers who are willing to hire people from this group More precisely
this virtual market place makes more information available in order to allow profiling of
capabilities and competences and also supplies information on possible vacancies In
addition it provides accompanying services such as legal support profiling support etc
All this enhances the transparency of the labour market It allows the disabled to
participate in the workforce and the vacancies available for disabled employees to be
filled It also makes the communication with disabled applicants more timely and
efficient
EKSOTE (FI) and ACTION (SE) target senior citizens and their relatives in the area of
active and healthy ageing and long-term care They seek to reduce the incidence of a
typical condition and encourage people to care for themselves and live independently at
home They also support formal and informal carers The focus is on improving the
quality of care services through a more integrated and coordinated provision of social
services a simplification of the administration better targeting of benefits and it also
directs considerable educational efforts to beneficiaries and caregivers who use the new
services These initiatives enhance the cost-effectiveness of social services and allow the
provision of services which better meet the needs of senior citizens and their relatives
Another interesting case is A Book for a Roof which also targets a clearly defined type
of beneficiary namely homeless people It provides a well-defined social service offer -
ie ICT-training that improves homeless peoplesrsquo chances of finding a job It fosters
social inclusion and promotes the use of internet as an inclusion tool two innovative
components for homelessness services The initiative focuses on homeless peoplesrsquo
chances of re-engaging with the job market It helps them build a positive self-image a
challenge for one of the most complex socially-excluded population groups This initiative
seems to have an impact- albeit on a small-scale ndash on the complexity of needs that
causes homelessness with a simple but effective ldquoreciperdquo It invests in soft skills and
human relationships instead of giving financial or material support The philosophy
behind the initiative is that motivation and partnership can overcome the malfunctioning
or inadequacy of traditional systems This problem is particularly widespread in the
Central-Eastern European welfare states where social care and support are mainly based
on passive allocation of benefits This approach sometimes prevents vulnerable people
from reacting adequately in order to be socially included again
39
423 Open processes of co-creation and collaborative networks
Another group of initiatives focuses on open processes of co-creation and
collaborative innovation networks Their aim is to contribute to establishing new
types of relationships between community and institutions and to capitalize on
partnerships between the public and private sectors The use of information from
different sources for planning purposes is a common aspect of the initiatives belonging to
this group
EESTIEE (EE) for example offers a portal which provides services from various public
institutions through one single entry-point simplifying the administrative burden and
connecting entrepreneurs and citizens with institutions and private-sector entities such
as banks telecom providers and energy companies In this case the availability of
information is crucial for the provision of online procedures that enhance access to
services and participation in service delivery models
Like other initiatives in the Continental welfare model Little Bird (DE) and Pocircle Emploi
(FR) illustrate an extensive statutory social security system based on solidarity Little
Bird contributes to the goals of family-friendly policies that increase maternity and
paternity rights and offer a better work-life balance and easier access to childcare The
approach helps to match the childcare offer and demand by offering information and an
online search tool for parents looking for childcare and facilitating the administration of
childcare facilities for providers The creation of a simple online platform greatly
promoted engagement in civil society parents and providers and other relevant
operators are involved in a collaborative innovation network where they all proactively
develop implement and adopt this innovation by contributing their respective
knowledge Indeed in this open process of co-creation all stakeholders bring their
knowledge information experience and resources especially those that are relevant to
them since they are all direct beneficiaries
In Pocircle Emploi the transformative use of ICTs is apparent in the interactions between
jobseekers and counsellors ICTs are used to improve beneficiariesrsquo digital skills This
increases their employment opportunities and helps fight digital exclusion and social
isolation The Pocircle Emploi 100 Web initiative contributes to addressing policy goals
related to active inclusion strategies by promoting greater engagement of employers and
job seekers improving the quality of services provided and enhancing transparency in
processes and digital access to services
CBSS (BE) sought to address the problems arising from the lack of coordination and
integration of the information flows across different social security actors For example
an information burden is imposed on citizens and companies if they are required to
provide the same information several times It started as a coordinated information
management programme and led to the creation of a permanent and interoperable social
security network which includes all social security institutions operating in Belgium It
therefore acts as a public services integrator in the social security sector This has
allowed the reengineering and full automation of the social security organizational
processes for the benefit of the concerned institutions citizens and companies
W2W is another example of disruptive innovation which relies on the cooperation among
public institutions and private employment agencies The initiative profiles job demand
and supply better and thus creates opportunities which were not available before It has
enabled the co-design of a new set of employment services with shared funding and
shared governance The involvement of private operators in the delivery process is a
rather innovative approach for the Central-Eastern European welfare model where the
private sector has not traditionally played a pivotal role
40
5 Results from cross-case analysis
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems
The cross-case analysis has allowed us to gather insights into the contribution ICTs make
to the implementation of innovation in the social sector and to establish more
sustainable effective and accessible services The results achieved by these contributions
in turn affect the overall contribution ICTs could make to the implementation of the
Social Investment Package and the achievement of its policy goals and objectives
511 ICTs contribute to tackle emerging societal challenges
This section focuses on the enabling role of ICTs in achieving the necessary integration
at different levels This allows the redesign of services a new balance in the relationships
between private and public sector involved in the service delivery process an increase in
the transparency of processes and procedures that consume resources allocated to social
services better identification of individualsrsquo needs and better allocation of budgets
From the cross-case analysis we can see that ICTs play a crucial role in promoting social
innovation and social investment They enhance possible solutions to cope with global
trends which increase the complexity in the delivery of social services These trends are
summarised as follows
a) Supply and demand paradox
The crisis has left a lot of people in economic distress and at the same time public
budgets have been eroded Public administrations must reinvent their role within the
community as follows
Internally leveraging on the possibilities of achieving operational efficiency
(reengineering of production processes shifting resources from back office to
front office leveraging existing assets redefining services portfolios following
activity-based management principles etc)
Externally identifying synergies at inter-institutional level (with other public
agencies at local national and European level) investing in new cooperation with
other private providers at inter-sectoral level (eg intermediaries third sector
organizations academic researchers etc) designing public interventions in a
client-centred way (ldquoclient pathwayrdquo) independently of where the administrative
responsibility for the service lies
With regard to both trends ICTs help to free up resources which can then be reallocated
to processes and activities that create added-value They also play an enabling role in
establishing information exchange which fosters cooperation among different agencies
Rethinking service management and service delivery models to harness new technologies
and approaches and integrating service providers to gain efficiency help to close the
gap between supply and demand and between skillscapabilities and the broadening
range of demands
b) Empowerment of the individual
Global education and increasing awareness of civil rights and consequent responsibility
within communities empower citizens ICTs are helping to give individuals a more central
role in the decision making process They allow individuals to actively participate
through mechanisms such as co-design and co-development in the design and
development of social service models In this respect individuals are increasingly
knowledgeable about their needs and the contribution they can make as service
recipients to aligning social services with demand
41
Individuals play a crucial role in social innovation in both the planning and the delivery
phase They can co-develop service delivery models and assess the quality and
outcomes of the social services
ICTs can contribute to reshaping the ldquoprovider-recipientsrdquo paradigm in the social services
management and delivery model creating new social and economic values that can
counterbalance the decrease in resources The availability of clear trackable and
controlled information empowers individuals increases their awareness and their ability
to participate in the decision-making process Beneficiaries are better able to manage
their own care through the use of innovative platforms and web and mobile devices and
they are in fact becoming increasingly accustomed to these technologies
c) Economic inter-connectedness
International trade and capital flows call for a new way to identify and measure ldquovaluerdquo
In particular social benefits delivery across different Countries or regional systems can
produce overlaps and hamper efficiency and effectiveness when not managed
comprehensively The approach taken must consider all levels of delivery (local national
European) and needs to conceptualize the user in a global and inter-connected socio-
economic system
ICTs make it possible to take a lsquoclient pathwayrsquo approach which puts the beneficiaryrsquos
needs at the centre They improve strategic planning and systems integrity by sharing
information between different agencies Data analytics enable a better understanding of
service usage patterns system outcomes and resources available so they can be
targeted more efficiently and fraud or errors can be detected and countered
The new social value created must be analysed and understood through a common
approach so that it can be distributed fairly among the stakeholders involved
d) Demographic and urbanisation trends
The ageing population in Europe poses new challenges for healthcare welfare and
pension systems At the same time young people will have to be integrated into the
labour market and socially included Migration flows add to the challenge to promote an
inclusive society Moreover it is expected that by 2030 two thirds of the worldrsquos
population will live in cities creating more opportunities for social and economic
development for sustainable living but also increasing pressure on infrastructures and
social resources
Structural interventions are the main instruments to address these socio-demographic
megatrends Current social service systems can only expand to cope with the increasing
demand through a greater use of technologies These allow personalized support enable
independent living at home or in care facilities and help meet savings targets The
widespread use of the internet and of mobile computing devices for example allows
people to help themselves and also fulfils peoplesrsquo expectations in an always-on world
New technologies foster flexibility offer new collaborative working opportunities in
service delivery allow beneficiaries to play a more active role in the design and delivery
of services and make social services more affordable
The cases analysed show that ICTs have helped promote social innovation and social
investment They have also enabled the implementation of new approaches to service
management and delivery In particular ICT tools have been key success factors for
Integrating services We can conclude from our analysis that there is increasing
awareness of the need to integrate human resources and social services in order
to produce more effective solutions to many of the societal challenges For
example the INPS initiative integrated various systems and service models to
provide a single point of customer service through the implementation of a multi-
42
channel approach managed exclusively digitally This innovation in the service
delivery model reduces administrative costs and increases efficiency by
eliminating duplication in processes such as client authentication and verification
which is supported by the automation of these processes INPS also highlights
the need to further improve technological tools in order to expand the portfolio of
services eg by integrating mobile devices into the service model in order to
reach the overall target population PES is another good example of how an
administration (Dutch) can provide users with more effective services by
eliminating barriers to access and offering a more holistic and client-centric
approach This brings together different services to address critical employment-
related needs and builds a real-time labour market place enhancing the match
between labour demand and offer EKSOTE focuses on a new integrated
approach the aim of which is to centralise the allocation of resources on the basis
of the populationrsquos needs and to facilitate the access to services and the
transparency of the information management system particularly for older people
and long-term care patients Its holistic approach helped in the coordination of
welfare and social service public providers Finally TDP strengthens preventive
care beyond traditional hospital-based treatments and promotes full integration of
healthcare services rather than stand-alone or vertical services This approach
has resulted in significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of services
Public Private Partnership Models Our analysis shows that PPPs can lead to
cost efficiencies and help to cope with the need to reduce intervention by the
public sector The result is a better focus on core service components and greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment In the PASS experience a
needs-driven approach was implemented this approach provided new public
value re-allocation giving systematic information to agencies and operators
working with the homeless It led to greater efficiency while maintaining high
quality service delivery The ACTION initiative shows how a technology-based
home care service developed by a public-private partnership can leverage on the
use of ICTs and help older people live independently by empowering them
(through training and expert support) and their family carers It has been
successful in getting older people and their family carers to actively participate in
the initiative Little Bird is another example of a publicprivate partnership
which has reallocated the place of care to the family environment It has
generated benefits for both children and parents by establishing an interactive
process which maps the entire range of administrative functions involved in the
allocation of childcare services In addition the government and the private
entities involved have obtained significant cost savings on service provision
Enhancing accountability the effectiveness of protection system services can
be enhanced by strengthening financial and accounting systems in order to better
detect fraud and address inefficiencies CBSS has fully integrated the workflows of
around 3000 social security national institutions making the whole process
available online This provided single and fast access to all social services and
benefits for customers as well as infrastructure and systems to the involved
organisations which increased agility and data transparency One of the main
lessons learned in SDW relates to accountability it developed an integrated
electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social sector which
allowed social security offices access to all the information needed to calculate all
social security contributions This is used for tracking procedures and to avoid
irregularities
e) Case management
We found that services tailored to and assessed against the changing needs of clients
and care givers increases the cost-effectiveness of service management and delivery
process This approach safeguards the overall sustainability of the service in the mid to
43
long-term W2W and Pocircle Emploi focus on profiling capabilities and the expectations of
the unemployed They customize their support services to match job demands and
supply with surprising results in terms of labour inclusion and reduction in the
unemployment rate A Book for a Roof shows that the individualised management of
care initiatives has found new ways of dealing with homelessness It uses cultural
interventions and focuses on enhancing peoplersquos skills and the use of the internet as an
inclusive environment This approach has increased the motivation of homeless people to
be included in society
512 ICTs contribute establishing more effective and accessible services
This section focuses on the capacity of ICTs to enhance productivity in the care sector
achieve cost savings increase the overall quality of the services from the point of view of
the recipients and build a single-point of access to multiple services
ICTs can improve social service management and delivery models provide new or better
answers to social protection system challenges and needs of individuals establish new
relationships and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders Thus they can contribute
significantly to delivering the reforms needed for the modernisation of social protection
systems
ICTs have been used as enablers of new public management approaches They can
promote pluralistic models of public service provision delivered by business the non-
profit sector and government actors working together increasing the proximity of
services providers to citizens In this respect the cases analysed have revealed a
growing emphasis on the importance of cost freedom of choice and quality of service
provision Government is no longer considered to be the only provider but is instead
engaged in controlling and financing services through the separation of the political
decision-making processes from the management side This new perception of the role of
the public sector role allows services to be delivered by partnerships made up of a range
of public and private actors As a result there is a need for more articulated forms of
cooperation and coordination than inter-agency systems
From the cross-case analysis we can deduce that ICTs contribute to the modernisation
of the social protection system because they allow
More productive care services and cost saving The cases analysed provide
evidence that ICT-enabled social innovation takes the traditional concept of
innovation ndash ie innovation improves productivity and in turn leads to economic
growth (in terms of GDP) ndash one step further They expand this paradigm to a
more complex development model which becomes crucial especially when
considering all the negative externalities (eg unemployment environmental
risks social exclusion etc) that characterise the current development models
The analysed development model can be seen as a form of economic and social
development which implies the sustainable use of all resources Sustainability
seems to be achieved by applying business principles to develop solutions to
social problems and social demands In this framework ICTs have led to the
creation of new jobs and improved the inclusion of marginalized categories of the
population in a virtuous and sustainable socio-economic circle They have enabled
social investments and social innovation to realise their full potential producing a
considerable mid- to long-term impact on society as a whole The cost savings
made in service provision is also crucial if we measure the contribution of social
and health care services to wellbeing These cost savings contribute to increasing
the portfolio of services or improving quality of services which as a result answer
peoplersquos needs better and decrease the burden of social services on tax payers
W2W part of the UK Welfare-to-Work programme was implemented by the
Polish public sector (Polish Government of Malopolska Region) as part of their
employment services It provides good evidence of the potential of ICT to enable
44
the development of a new cooperation model between public labour services
social support institutions non-governmental organizations and non-public
operators The programme aims to design and test outsourcing employment
(back-to-work) services with an individualized and thus more effective approach
to engaging the unemployed This profiling approach has increased the efficiency
of public spending as payments are only made when specific outcomes are
achieved (payment by results) The platform tested by the regional government
of the Malopolska (Cracow) Region serves as a new model for engaging the long-
term unemployed it includes all the information needed to better profile the
unemployed and fill the gap between job demand and workforce Specific
attention is paid to the long-term unemployed for whom the mechanism allocates
more resources in recognition of the greater difficulties faced when trying to re-
enter the job market Different activities are carried out to upgrade the
candidatesrsquo profiles in order to make them more ldquoattractiverdquo for employers The
mechanisms used to monitor and control the success of the activities upon which
payments to actors are based is enabled by ICT tools SDW has also developed
an integrated electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social
sector It aims to make available all the information needed by the social security
offices to calculate all social security contributions This significant ICT-driven
change resulted in a radical transformation paper data exchange was eliminated
and replaced by direct electronic data flows The burden on the administration
was reduced and so was the opportunity for fraud Coordination between services
increased benefiting both citizens and the publicprivate institutions The strategy
focused on digital solutions as a means of increasing service capacity and value
for money through greater efficiency cooperation and knowledge sharing It
enabled communities families and individuals to contribute to the generation of
societal wellbeing Another example is provided by the TDP experience which
showed the large potential benefits related to the cost effectiveness of the care
service delivery process However due to actual reductions in the number of beds
in care homes closure of hospital wards and other not always implemented
service adjustments these efficiency gains did not result in cash savings
Nevertheless based on the lessons learned through the TDP experience a new 3
year Technology-Enabled Care Programme costing pound30m was launched across
Scotland in 2014 This programme aimed to broaden outcomes for individuals in
homes or community settings through the application of technology as an integral
part of quality cost-effective care and support
Enhancing the quality of care The cases analysed showed how ICTs can
contribute to higher quality of service provision They enhance the quality of life
of care recipients improving their health-related quality of life and their social
participation their self-esteem and empower them with better access to services
and multi-channelling approaches They also enhance the quality of life of
relatives and care givers enabling them to reduce the burden of care and
allowing them to reconcile care and work Thus they make social care closer to
the individualrsquos life conditions Finally they also have a positive impact on the
quality of services by facilitating information sharing allowing the use of data
analytics to customise the service delivered and to enhance knowledge skills and
competences In EKSOTE ICTs made an important contribution to the process of
integration of the public and private organizations involved in social care services
for the older population in a functional cost effective and user-oriented
approach The initiative took a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and prevention
approach to the care of older people at home giving them physical psychological
and sociocultural assistance The approach ensures that citizens have equal
access to social and health care services across the boundaries of municipalities
ICT made this initiative possible by integrating information across private and
public organizations along with the care service delivery process As a result the
criteria used to measure and assess needs has been standardised so that all
customers are treated equally in the assessment process This has allowed the
45
centralization of service needs assessment for the whole area by means of an
agile business process development approach This more efficient and
standardized process has given clients in the whole area better services and fairer
access to them Another good example of enhanced quality of care is ACTION
This initiative included remote provision of dedicated information and education
programmes which strengthen ability of older people and their relatives to care
for themselves and cope with the issues that typically arise for frail elderly
people Family carers received on-demand support through ICTs from local
service centres staffed with qualified professionals ICTs also supported
networking and mutual exchange between service users and facilitated the
sharing of information education and support to older people and their family
carers As a direct result the family carers felt more competent and secure in
their caring role and older people gained access to some of the opportunities
offered by todayrsquos information society In addition the service enhanced the
social inclusion of frail older people and their carers traditionally excluded from
the benefits of ICT and helped them gain more overall control over their own
lives enriching the caring relationship Finally professional carers experienced
improved job satisfaction and municipalities benefited from a more effective use
of available resources This was due to the multi-channel approach used to deliver
services which increased quality and led to a more efficient use of staffrsquos time In
the BSA initiative the integration between health and social care departments
was facilitated by the use of ICT through new approaches to service delivery
(such as telemonitoring and teleassistance) This shift from hospital-based or
residential assistance to forms of support at home resulted in considerable cost
reductions It increased the quality of life of both recipients and care givers and
gave rise to a more cost-effective model The change in citizensrsquo perceptions of
how public and private organizations should operate and contribute to wellbeing
had a great cultural impact which contributed to wellbeing promoting
commitment and reducing the digital divide in the district Another initiative
Little Bird addressed familiesrsquo needs to find a childcare service by optimising the
search facility on an ICT platform and providing organizational support to
childcare facilities By seeking to optimize the use of resources for both the
demand and supply side this ICT-based interactive process succeeded in mapping
the entire range of administrative functions used for the allocation of childcare
services This unique package of solutions offers advantages for parents who can
check online and in real-time all childcare services and availabilities From the
providersrsquo point of view the system allows them to predict the demand for their
services Finally public administrations also benefit from having an overview of
spare capacity or surplus demand in the childcare sector allowing them to better
tailor future policies The initiative offers a technical solution that allows more
integrated and cost-effective management of childcare services both public and
private This has contributed greatly to reducing externalities such as the child
care burden for families It has allowed them to increase their productivity and
achieve a better balance between family life work life and child care A book for
a roof finally shows how ICT can play a significant role in setting up a radically
new match between cultural investment and social need The use of ICT for
personal file management and profiling of competences and the use of internet as
an inclusive environment to involve homeless people enhancing their motivation
and increasing their chances of getting a job radically changed the existing
approach to homelessness problems It has therefore led to a paradigm shift in
the provision of social assistance services to the homeless
The set-up of one-stop-shop models Many of the cases analysed introduce
organizational models in which service users are provided with a single entry point
into social protection systems This simplifies organisation enhances service
delivery and boosts the uptake of services In many cases new models of service
provision have been developed which provide more accessible and user-friendly
information They improve the coordination among different levels of government
46
and reduce greatly the administrative burden on customers and providers We
identified several models from fully integrated and physically co-located services
to virtual information portals or frontlines of complex single agencies to umbrella
structures covering several agencies In some cases a single agency was created
to implement a ldquoone-stop shoprdquo offering a wide portfolio of services to its
customers for example INPS This organisation aims to optimise resources for
the entire portfolio of services (including social benefits and pensions) through
digital channels (amongst others the ldquocontact centrerdquo) It developed a completely
new service delivery model which allowed ldquoone shop stoprdquo access to services and
the continuous tracking and monitoring of ongoing service requests The initiative
produced positive outcomes for the Italian population as whole thanks to a
reduction in the payment of undue benefits and the increased transparency and
accountability of the overall system which allows requests and services to be
tracked With respect to public administration effectiveness the digitalisation of
services through INPS allowed the integration of initiatives with other public
operators in the welfare sector and with private intermediaries which avoided
overlaps and helped to optimize the use of public resources for the benefit of the
citizens INPS decreased the workload and made savings of around 1000 FTEs
thereby reducing the public administrationrsquos spending In other cases more
complex structures have been introduced for instance when the one-stop-shop
operates on top of partner organizations Here the aim is to maximize the
convenience also for clients of all other partners by integrating services eg
through intra-governmental partnerships This is the case of EESTIEE and CBSS
In EESTIEE ICTs have been used to build Estoniarsquos information gateway This
complex one-stop-shop mechanism for the provision of online procedures and
information has also fostered technical collaboration between different authorities
ICTs played a key role in the promotion of an extensive digitalisation of public
procedures and had a profound impact on Estoniarsquos operational and administrative
model It also changed the way business was promoted and supported As a
result users gained greater access and the system achieved greater efficiency
Transaction costs and duplication were reduced for citizens providers and
government alike ICTs changed the relationships between government and
citizens and other relevant stakeholders and led to the digital transformation of
public services They also transformed the way services were delivered The CBSS
case helps us understand how the introduction of a one-stop shop to implement
electronic service delivery can lead to a structural reform process In this
particular case ICTs transformed the delivery of social security services by
initiating a business reengineering process within and across all the 3000
organizations involved in the Belgian social security system At the same time
back-office functions were automatized significantly and this reduced the
duplication of information which was significant because of the sheer number of
social security actors The new ICT-based system significantly increased the re-
use of information and made it possible to send responses to beneficiaries and
civil servants automatically This led to a considerable simplification of procedures
and introduced a new more integrated and personalised way of communicating
with citizens and companies which is better aligned with the needs of the final
users
In a more specific field ndash that of unemployment ndash two other one-stop-shop approaches
provide good evidence on how ICTs can contribute to the modernisation of social
protection systems Pocircle Emploi and PES
Pocircle Emploi shows that by placing innovation at the centre of the reform of social
services structural improvements and sustainable outcomes can be achieved This
initiative fully digitalised the support services offered to jobseekers in order to bring them
closer to the labour market Pocircle Emploi improved its web-platform and developed free
online services for the matching of CVs and job offers e-counselling e-training etc
47
that can be accessed by any jobseeker or enterprise The impact achieved in terms of
facilitating access and take-up of employment services and meeting job-seekers
expectations and needs has been remarkable ICTs played a crucial role in this initiative
It developed a platform capable of providing a centralised and secure database of
unemployment information and it became an aggregator of labour market policies and
initiatives The Pocircle Emploi website is now the leading job site in France in terms of
number of users Its success is the reason for the subsequent launch of an ambitious
policy around big data for policy support
In the PES case ICTs have also played a vital role especially in targeting and identifying
final beneficiaries more effectively They have increased the value of employment-related
interventions and trust in government ICTs have led to more inclusive labour markets
and fostered self-employment especially via job market intermediaries They support
social inclusion employment and more general civil engagement activities which target
disadvantaged groups eg the disabled young people and people at risk of poverty and
social exclusion The one-stop shop developed in PES takes a revolutionary approach It
encourages more individuals to actively participate in the labour market and interact with
the government online by giving them the opportunity to use multiple delivery channels
and at times more convenient for them In this case ICTs have brought key benefits to
all stakeholders involved in public employment services and social services provision by
introducing a new optimised online system 90 of the services are delivered via digital
means and through digital interaction In this Dutch initiative digital platforms have
transformed many of the traditional interactions addressing the needs of job seekers
the young the disabled unemployed and employersrsquo requirements and especially setting
up partnerships with municipalities and empowering other social services
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success
Our cross-case analysis identified many innovation elements as key factors which could
in principle determine the achievement of relevant results and therefore the overall
success of an initiative These are briefly explained in this section
521 Active involvement of beneficiaries improves services delivery
Active involvement of beneficiaries and end users is crucial not only during the design
and implementation phases of the initiative but also in the continuous improvement of
the services delivered Mechanisms have been implemented for discussing and
monitoring results and for capturing information on customeruser satisfaction which
allow service providers to better address the needs of users In order to ensure easy
accessibility and usability of services complementary services and training programmes
have been provided These ensure that less technologically advanced users can reap the
benefits from the new service provision A good example is EESTIEE which built an
open process of co-creation and a collaborative innovation network between public
agencies and beneficiaries in an extensive reshaping of the relationships between
community and institutions TDP committed its national health system stakeholders to
rigorous collaboration which caused a fundamental change in their relationships CBSS is
another example of the involvement of beneficiaries which allowed both cross-sectoral
integration between public and private institutions and actors and vertical integration
among national regional and local administrations In terms of civil society
engagement Little Bird involved parents families and providers in the co-design
development and fine tuning of the solution it offered W2W used ICTs to redesign
employment policies and services provision with the cooperation of operators the
information they provided and their interaction with job seekers A similar approach was
followed by Pocircle Emploi which centralised unemployment information with secure
access aggregating and matching labour market supply and demand while supporting
beneficiaries with guided tutoring activity
48
522 Partnership and commitment at different levels are key
Another element of success across the initiatives analysed has been the involvement of
stakeholders representing different social needs and roles Their contribution of
knowledge information experience and resources of different kinds and from different
sources has allowed the definition of innovative solutions The engagement of
stakeholders at different levels was achieved not only because they were committed to
the implementation of the activities but also because it was in some cases the basis for
joint financing of the initiative itself The type of stakeholders identified in the cases
studied included beneficiaries (eg employed and unemployed people older people the
disabled the homeless etc) carers and families private and public service providers
(eg public authorities labour agencies libraries labour market consultants etc)
innovators and researchers (eg universities entrepreneurs and other private service
developers) health and social care professionals trainers and teachers non-profit
organisations (eg carer and patient organisations volunteer organisations trade
associations unions etc) and volunteers A very good example of commitment between
stakeholders at different levels is the INPS initiative which built a new model of service
delivery based on the synergies of different operators This led to a disruptive change in
service delivery through a multi-channel approach where all kinds of stakeholders
played a role including beneficiaries intermediaries and public institutions ACTION
benefitted from the close cooperation between service recipients developers and the
municipality which was of crucial importance for the initial implementation of the service
as well as for the later expansion of the ICT-based intervention which targeted clients
and their families at home PES created a real time labour market which benefitted from
the partnership between job seekers private providers and labour agencies at different
levels contributing to a fundamental change to the traditional services delivery EKSOTE
used the organizational integration of the providers to build a common access point for
users Finally BSA was made possible by cross-sectoral cooperation between social and
health care sectors providers and between providers recipients and caregivers
523 Developing a policy framework to support sustainability is needed
Political commitment andor a policy and regulatory context conducive to the
development and use of ICTs in social services are important enabling factors they
facilitate the success of the initiative and increase its chances of becoming sustainable
In most of the cases analysed policy programmes provided medium- to long-term
funding for the implementation of the initiatives This encouraged the creation of lasting
partnerships accelerated the decision-making process and facilitated the scaling up of
the outcomes achieved TDP for example was able to provide evidence about the
significant potential benefits of a more cost-effective care service delivery process
thanks to the Scottish Governmentrsquos commitment and financing in conjunction with the
National Health care system in Scotland In addition the adoption of a 3 year pound30m
Scotland-wide programme to support a new Technology-Enabled Care Programme
supported further development based on the lessons learned in the TDP experience
W2W is another example of how political commitment coupled with a European policy
which provides funding opportunities allowed the launch of a pilot and helped to
mainstream the service tested Thanks to the commitment of the Central Government
which is considering the potential inclusion of W2W as a model in the forthcoming Labour
Act the service may be transferred to national level In SDW the Danish Government
the local government and the Danish regions accelerated the digital transformation of
some core services in the healthcare sector and identified a number of projects and
initiatives for wider implementation This was facilitated by the national policy framework
in place Finally A book for a roof was supported politically and financially by the EIFL
Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and subsequent contributions from
various public institutions like the Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) and the Zagreb City
Council
49
524 Simplification and automation facilitate access to services
Generally the adoption of new technologies has simplified access to services and the
automation of processes which were traditionally based on a direct relationship between
providers and users The cases analysed contribute to the evidence base which shows
that the digital transformation of services has led to a reduction of the administrative
burden by offering more channels to deliver services increasing the transparency of
management flows and identifying needs and rights more clearly This transformation
also offers users greater autonomy in their use of the services It also reduces the time
and resources they need to engage with services and generally improves their
perceptions of service quality In the case of INPS this process resulted in a general
improvement of the image of public institutions among citizens cost savings and a more
diversified service offer by shifting resources to front-desk activities The adoption of
innovative technological solutions has been well received in the cases analysed partly
because it offers complementary services to support less technologically advanced users
and thus reduces the risk of digital exclusion This is the case of Pocircle Emploi EKSOTE
SDW and ACTION where the simplification and automation processes were implemented
together and intensive training was given to beneficiaries families and caregivers
Finally PASS shows how a transformative innovation which focused initially on the
simplification of procedures and automation processes radically modified the existing
mechanisms of services provision First the delivery of services to citizens was improved
by ensuring that resources were used effectively reducing duplication and fostering the
cooperation of different agencies to provide a continuum of care In turn this promoted
social responsibility pro-active participation and engagement in local communities
525 Electronic exchange of information enables service integration
The case studies show that a critical success factor for social innovation is the integration
of services at both management and delivery level The centralised provision of secure
information about beneficiary needs rights and benefits received has been crucial to
the integration between different providers This integration has allowed the
restructuring of procedures in a client-pathway approach and the provision of a single
entry point for users Shared information systems facilitate the interactions between
actors at various levels of governance (ie collaboration across multiple levels of
government) which in turn facilitate the cross-disciplinary management of different
social areas Information systems integration was generally achieved through the
implementation of progressive database integration coordinated case management and
exchange of data through multiple channels This process allows a more holistic and
client-centric approach that brings multiple services to bear on client needs In PASS
the information exchange between operators was enabled by a system that provided a
more sophisticated and up-to-date way of collecting key information about homeless
services and service take-up In TDP the sharing of information allowed providers to
mainstream telecare services in a number of local partnerships and to integrate health
and social care organisation in the services delivery INPS is a key example of how the
integration of information and its management resulted in huge and pervasive synergies
among public and private operators This led to a comprehensive redesign of service
management and provision in a more client-centred approach
526 Monitoring implementation is crucial to demonstrate results
Our analysis shows that the presence of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating
results has been an important element for the success of the initiatives analysed These
mechanisms permit the early identification of any concerns about the use of the services
Monitoring tools can check the direction taken during the implementation phase They
can also help to address emerging issues so that corrective measures can be taken to re-
calibrate the intervention to answer needs adequately Customer Relationship
Management tools measure customer satisfaction and capture usersrsquo perceptions with
50
respect to the services offered In some of the cases analysed some internal and
external evaluations were carried out The evidence provided highlighted the value of
collecting data on impacts and outcomes of the initiatives An interesting example in this
respect is W2W which developed a monitoring methodology It connected payments
made to labour agencies by the public authorities to outcomes This model also
implemented more effective and convincing dissemination activities which enhanced
awareness of the benefits of the initiative Furthermore in the BSA case an ICT tool was
used by all professionals and social workers to monitor in real time whether activities
programmed for each beneficiary actually took place This tool was also useful for the
payment system as external providers could use it to issue their bills to the BSA
organization Other relevant examples are CBSS PES and PASS CBSS developed tools
to provide statistics and other relevant information on the performance of the Social
Security system in a more comprehensive centralized way PES launched a methodology
to cluster and measure specific labour market data in order to carry out benchmarking
and ldquowhat ifrdquo analyses PASS developed tools to provide statistics to projects about
individual clients and the work of the project as a whole helping the future service
development plan
53 Evidence of impact on service integration
All the initiatives analysed have significant levels of integration of services
procedures sources of funding etc Most of them have achieved a high degree of
integration in many areas often both at the delivery system level and from an
organizational perspective for example the large scale initiatives such as INPS PES
PASS SDW BSA and TDP All these initiatives have had an impact on the service
management system from the identification of the various needs through production to
the channels of distribution In some cases there has been an impact on the promotion
and funding of the services Hence there is strong evidence for integration at many
different levels and in different areas
Even in those case studies where there seems to be less or no horizontal integration it is
possible to appreciate other forms or types of service integration This is particularly true
in EESTIEE Little Bird and Book for a Roof where the impact has been on a specific
aspect of service management eg administrative funding organizational or delivery
system Funding or administrative integration seems to be common in Continental
countries but less common in Central-Eastern welfare systems In contrast in the
Mediterranean Anglo-Saxon and Nordic groups of initiatives integration seems to
happen mostly at the organizational and delivery system levels
Nevertheless all the initiatives have achieved some level of integration by optimising
procedures and processes and in terms of the relationships with other operators and
stakeholders whose involvement has been redefined Most of the initiatives have
achieved inter-sectoral integration by improving coordination of the different operators
both private and public and a clearer definition of their respective roles in the production
and delivery of services especially through innovative public-private partnerships
Though the role played by the private sector in Mediterranean and Continental welfare
systems is not traditionally very proactive we found most cases of inter-sectoral
integration among these groups of countries For instance private operators participate
strongly and actively in the new service delivery models of INPS BSA Pocircle Emploi and
CBSS The role of private operators is crucial even when the initiative is driven mainly by
the public sector Similarly among the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries initiatives
private organisations (both for profit and not-for-profit) are strongly involved In these
cases (eg TDP and PASS) however they play a much more proactive role in service
design W2W the Polish case which adopted a British experience also falls into this
group
51
In the integration process ICTs are clearly an enabling factor which helps to leverage
the various types of information collected provide more targeted answers to the actual
needs of citizens and support the overall governance of the social services sector The
initiatives analysed show that the use of ICTs can enable intermediary operators social
workers and formal carers to play a central andor leading role thus contributing to
greater involvement of citizens in social services management The role of ICTs as
enabling factor was observed in nearly all the initiatives analysed where thanks to ICTs
volunteers and informal carers are playing a more important role regardless of the
welfare model in which the initiatives take place This suggests that it is a common trait
of all social innovation processes
An overview of the main social innovation elements identified in the 14 cases is
presented in Table 6 This table also shows the targeted beneficiaries and the main type
of integration achieved or pursued for each of the initiatives selected
52
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
A Book for a Roof (Croatia) Homeless people Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production A Book for a Roof invested in the employability and inclusion of the homeless by enhancing their skills improving their self-image and helping them build
self-confidence
Funding A Book for a Roof benefitted from an initial grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and built a
partnership with 8 other partners including the Zagreb Council which allowed gaining financial and operational support
ACTION (Sweden) Family carers and the older people
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production ACTION is a need-driven outcome-oriented production approach which developed a new service delivery system to support frail older people and their carers in their own homes with ICTs
Delivery system The initiative allowed a change in the delivery of services using ICTs to support clients in their families and homes
BSA (Spain) All social andor healthcare services recipients within the BSA territory
Public value allocationor reallocation Badalona City Council triggered the integration of health and social departments and sectors in the Badalona area using a userpatient-centric approach
Service Delivery BSA achieved the full integration of health and social care departments organizational structures service delivery models and funding schemes through an Integrated Care Plan which puts patient and users at the centre of the service production process It is a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and social services delivery
CBSS (Belgium) Social security institutions citizens companies intermediaries
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks The combination of back-office integration and ePortal solution developed through close collaboration among the about 3000 social security institutions in Belgium allowed both cross-sectorial
integration between public and private institutions and vertical integration of national-regional-local administrations
Organizational CBSS fostered an intensive collaboration among different operators and led to the development of a network for electronic information exchange addressing social security service delivery
EESTIEE (Estonia) Citizens foreigners national agencies
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks EESTIEE set up a collaborative innovation network between public agencies and private operators providing information assisting citizens and reshaping the relationships between community and institutions
Administrative EESTIEE fostered a huge administrative and organizational redesign of the public service delivery model and provided users with a unique access point
EKSOTE (Finland) Older people and long-term care patients welfare and social service public providers
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production EKSOTE launched a new need-driven integrated approach which facilitates access to services and increases the transparency of the information management system
Organizational The initiative enabled the organisational integration of the providers and provided a common access point for clients
INPS (Italy) Unions intermediaries employment agencies healthcare professionals and Local Health Units (ASL) municipalities regions citizens
Public value allocationor reallocation The process started with a shift towards a need drivenoutcome oriented service production but led to a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Delivery system The initiative led to a complete redesign of the production process (organisational integration) and structural changes to the delivery system
53
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
Little Bird (Germany) Children and parents Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Little Bird promotes engagement in civil society parents and providers together with other relevant actors are involved in a collaborative innovation network to improve childcare facilities management
Delivery system Little Bird led to a new organizational support that provides childcare social service delivery process tackling the challenge of optimizing the use of resources while supporting both the parents and the municipalities
PASS (Ireland) Homeless people homeless agencies
Public value allocationor reallocation PASS was a revolutionary need-driven outcome-oriented production approach in which outcomes are intended to meet the needs of society or specific groups in society in a sustainable way It led to new public value re-allocation providing systematic information to agencies and operators in the field of homelessness allowing them to better plan and act
Organizational The initiative gave rise to a new organizational model involving public and private operators in the field and redesigned the services production process
PES (Netherlands) Job seekers (with focus also on disabled people) employers people on benefits
Need-drivenoutcome oriented production The PES NL reform is a need-driven ICT enabled initiative implementing the employee insurance scheme addressing unemployment workersrsquo rights maternity and sickness coverage
Organizational PES NL created a real time labour market place improving the matching between labour demand and offer through a new organizational channel
Pocircle Emploi (France) The unemployed job seekers public employment service organisations
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Pocircle Emploi developed a centralised and secure information system for unemployment data in order to become an aggregator of labour market players policies and initiatives
Delivery system Pocircle Emploi allowed extensive data collection and interchange among different operators public and private delivering a new approach for job matching
SWD (Denmark) Welfare benefit recipients
mainly the older people social and health services and education recipients
Public value allocation or reallocation
The strategy focused on digital solutions and means to rethink the service production process and increase service strategy to produce value for money and a better allocation within communities families and among individual with needs
Organisational
The Danish Strategy for Digital Welfare modernised public service production to ensure a more efficient and effective provision of public sector services by accelerating the take-up of ICT in frontline public services
TDP (Scotland) Older people in Scotland suffering from conditions like chronic diseases cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
Public value allocationor reallocation The TDP was a national government initiative implemented in rigorous collaboration with the Scottish national health system which developed an integrated care approach with its own funds and resources It provided a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Organizational The TDP led to structural changes in the entire health care system of Scotland both in terms of organization and funding sources
W2W (Poland) Employment agencies the unemployed
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Express Train to Employment used ICTs to redesign the employment policies and services provision in an integrated way with the cooperation of institutions private operators and job seekers
Organizational Express Train to Employment used ICTs used ICT to enable PPP (public-private partnership) through a technological platform where all the actors could share information update data and co-design unemployed services parameters
Source Internal IESI elaboration
54
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives
541 General overview
Many of the 14 initiatives analysed relate to the key SIP objectives in that that they
often have an impact on the modernisation of social protection system through the
integration of service delivery Some examples are INPS BSA ACTION and Pocircle
Emploi Our analysis suggests that delivery of social protection systems is the main area
of modernisation and that it is where most disruptive innovations are found This is
apparent in the initiatives from the Mediterranean and Continental welfare models where
the public sector has played a central role in service management and delivery However
this role has become unsustainable because of the need to reduce public spending and
the increasing complexity of service demand The Continental modelrsquos centralized
approach to service delivery and the unbalanced way different social needs are met by
public services in the Mediterranean model are both issues which have been targeted by
recent welfare reforms Creative ways to cope with decreasing social spending and the
need to improve efficiency had to be found
Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries are focusing on social inclusion strategies Social
services initiatives in these countries are organised around the individual and hisher
capacity to continue contributing to society This is the case with TDP EKSOTE and
ACTION where social investments are directed at redesigning or reengineering services
in order to improve quality of life The Nordic welfare model rests on principles of
solidarity equality and a universalistic approach to welfare service provision Besides the
provision of fundamental social services to all citizens this model is characterized by
strong community involvement and the search for collaborative solutions to the needs of
very specific categories of people (in the above cases older people) Furthermore the
initiatives belonging to the Anglo-Saxon models though driven by a more liberal
approach to service delivery provide services for social categories which are excluded or
at risk of exclusion This is the case of TDP for older people in Scotland and PASS for the
homeless in Ireland W2W is also a good illustration of this in Poland where the
experience in the UK has been reproduced This shows that experiences from different
welfare models can be adapted and tailored to the circumstances in other welfare
models
Last but not least ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs
at critical moments during their lives seems to be a key target of the Central-Eastern
European initiatives we have analysed In these cases the post-communist approach to
social policies led to a situation in which people relied heavily on welfare policies although
the system was unable to respond adequately to the needs This may explain why
initiatives in this welfare model tend to be small scale or based on the involvement of the
private sector with the help of EU Funds For example of A Book for a Roof targets the
homeless and W2W the unemployed as mentioned above Further initiatives belonging
to the Continental welfare model like CBSS and Little Bird seem to focus mainly on the
needs of people in critical moments in their lives However these have been developed in
the wider context of social investment policies which aim to address wider ranging
problems such as childcare throughout Germany and social security in Belgium
Table 7 below provides an overview of the relationships between the initiatives and the
main SIP objectives
55
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives
Contribution to SIP Objectives
Modernizing social protection systems Spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
Implementing active inclusion strategies Investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the labour market
Investing in individuals throughout their life Ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
A Book for a Roof (Croatia)
A book for a Roof combined employment information management and technology (ICT) training to bring homeless people into the labour market
A book for a Roof helps job seekers improve their skills and boosts their motivation through psycho-social support As a result social protection services are able to respond to homeless people at critical moments in their lives
ACTION (Sweden) ACTION allowed a new approach to services through telematics interventions at home promoting more inclusiveness of older people and their families
BSA (Spain) BSA consisted in a great innovation in the social protection system especially concerning health and social care services since it integrated the two aspects under a unique beneficiary-oriented approach producing savings and improving the quality of services
The main aim of BSArsquos Integrated Care Plan is to empower people especially the older people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at home It also helped improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers
BSArsquos integration initiative was triggered by the need to shift from the older paradigm in the delivery service model to a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of worsening of chronicity and other conditions and following the individuals throughout their entire life also thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as tele-monitoring and telecare
CBSS (Belgium) CBSS provided socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have reduced to a minimum the administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
CBSS fully integrated the work flows of 3000 social security institutions guaranteeing on-line management of the whole processes and a unique and fast access to all social rights and benefits
EESTIEE (Estonia) By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies EESTIEE led to the reshaping of the public model to produce and deliver services with a more effective and centralised approach
EKSOTE (Finland) EKSOTE led to the organizational integration of providers and a common access point for clients enabling a more adequate service provision
EKSOTE provided equal access to social and health care services to all citizens in its region of operation across the boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care processes according to which the same electronic patient record system is used in the health care centres and hospitals of all communities belonging to the organization
INPS (Italy) The process of computerization of services resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
The digitalisation of services changed the paradigm for the delivery service model which shifted towards a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to peoples changing needs
56
Source IESI internal elaboration
Little Bird (Germany)
Little Bird provided a safe and convenient solution in the region it operates in across the boundaries of municipalities for the search for allocation and management of childcare services
Little Bird facilitated equal access to early childhood education through an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services
PASS (Ireland) PASS allowed a better inclusion of homeless people redesigned the production process of services improving the integration opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of this category of fragile people
PASS allowed a better outcome-oriented service production which meets the needs of the homeless and is managed in a centralised and more integrated way
PES (Netherlands)
The initiative allowed to cluster information of the labour market at a macro-level and take into account each regionallocal labour market peculiarities producing more efficient results at all PES levels and better outcomes for job seekers
PES allowed to meet critical employment needs building a real time labour market place enhancing the matching between labour demand and offer
Pocircle Emploi (France)
Pocircle Emploi has established itself as coordinator of French initiatives intermediation and an aggregator of other market players enhancing the effectiveness of the employment support
Pocircle Emploi personalized the employment support services improving the job demand and offer matching and aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations employers or business organizations
SDW (Denmark) SDW accelerated the use of ICT and welfare technology in frontline public service delivery with concrete initiatives speeding up the use of efficient and effective digital and technological solutions in healthcare care for the elderly social services and education
TDP (Scotland) TDP improved the inclusion of older people and
their families investing in the capacity of people suffering from conditions like chronic disease cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
TDP produced a structural change in the entire
health care system of Scotland demonstrating how telecare could contribute to the safety and quality of life of older people while significantly reducing costs of health and social care
W2W (Poland) W2W improved the mechanisms to reduce unemployment rates achieve sustainable employment and established partnerships in order to identify synergies and effective and pervasive solutions
W2Wrsquos centralized management of information flows allowed categorizing the employment needs in order to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in the labour market
57
542 Impact on the modernisation of social protection systems
In order to assess how and to what extent the selected initiatives contribute to the
modernisation of welfare systems we have grouped and analysed them in relation to the
following three key areas of welfare
Social security and employment which includes social assistance social care
employment and employability
Social inclusion and participation which includes social inclusion social
housing civic engagement education and training and childcare
Active healthy ageing and care which includes integrated health and social
care prevention health promotion and rehabilitation independent living
a) Impact of the cases on social security and employment
Out of the 14 initiatives analysed 6 implemented changes in social security and
employment as shown in Table 8 below
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment
Initiatives Summary of impact
INPS (IT) PES (NL)
These two initiatives have transformed employment and the delivery of benefit services to those underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient manner (almost all the services are delivered using digital means) Their revolutionary approach allows more individuals to actively participate interact with the government online giving them the chance to use multiple delivery channels with more convenient timeframes
SDW (DK) CBSS (BE)
Thanks to ICTs CBSS and SDW have built a unique information management model which allows carrying out historical and prospective analyses and therefore improving policies and regulations
W2W (PL) Pocircle Emploi (FR)
W2W and Pocircle Emploi have developed innovative competences and job potential profiling tools based on the use of extensive information which allow better assessing actual needs and thus improving the matching between job seekers and employers
Source IESI internal elaboration
Social security and employment refers to the provision of social services and benefits to
support citizens who are unable to meet their most fundamental needs by themselves
This includes their ability to be active on the labour market and receiving a decent
income which allows them to preserve their dignity
The 6 initiatives that have an impact in this area are citizen-centric and propose radical
changes in the approach to social services design and delivery These are the two key
interrelated elements of a new and more sustainable welfare system These initiatives
trigger a review of the portfolio of services offered in order to adapt them to existing and
upcoming societal challenges and reduce public spending
This can be seen very clearly in the initiatives in the Mediterranean and Continental
welfare models where a trend towards more equitable treatment and more
publicprivate partnerships reveals an important cultural change Nevertheless the
initiatives implemented in the Anglo-Saxon group of countries also show a strong focus
on change for instance with the greater implementation of one-stop-shop approaches
Existing approaches to implementing new models of management of social security
services have been rethought in order to improve critical aspects of existing delivery
systems
58
The issues that these initiatives tackle include
The lack of a systematic and comprehensive vision in the relevant social
services legislation
The fragmentation of the actors and institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the regulation financing and delivery of services
The low level of technological innovation in the management of data and
relevant information
The lack of integration between the institutional players in charge of providing
social services and the beneficiaries
The demand for better quality which requires services to bring true added-
value
Reshaping the way services to citizens are produced managed and distributed is
common to all these initiatives It involves extensive integration mainly within public
administrations but also with private operators and intermediaries Most initiatives in this
cluster are led by public sector actors and focus on a thorough rethinking of the delivery
model which leads to a reengineering of the services alongside a revision of the
governance model
The initiatives represent radicaltransformative innovations which by leveraging on ICTs
modify the existing mechanisms of services provision and lead to a paradigm shift that
reframes the nature of the specific problems to be addressed and their possible solutions
Most of the initiatives focus on changing the service provision paradigm to adopt a more
client-centric approach often through the use of one-stop-shops They all seek to
improve access to services distribute resources more fairly and reduce the
administrative burden on users of the service
In all these initiatives ICTs have contributed strongly to inter-sectoral integration They
foster collaboration between government and service delivery providers in the private or
non-for-profit sectors through the shared use of well-structured technological tools The
new model implemented by the initiatives is based on the development of client
pathways which aim to improve service access ensure greater accountability and
transparency in the system as a whole and allow citizens to have greater control over
information that concerns them
The new service delivery model allows one-stop shop access to services fosters the
modernisation of processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services
and allows the continuous tracking and monitoring of service demand In these cases
ICT-enabled social innovation can act as an enabling factor For example ICTs can help
us obtain a complete and more systematic understanding of social security needs and
support e-learning services Thus they can help to improve the employability of an
individual over time andor to improve the integration of the back offices of
organizations in charge of managing social benefits
In some cases ICTs play a game changing role as they enable the integration of
information from different sources which fulfils profiling needs much more accurately
Thus it is possible to customize the service delivered which optimizes both outcome and
citizen satisfaction By allowing better targeting and identifying beneficiaries more
effectively ICTs play a huge role in increasing the value of interventions and citizensrsquo
trust in government Furthermore ICT-based solutions also support social policy reforms
by promoting active inclusion in the labour market
b) Impact of the cases on social inclusion and participation
Another 4 initiatives out of our case selection focused on social inclusion and participation
as shown in Table 9 overleaf
59
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation
Initiative Summary of impact
Little Bird (DE)
PASS (IE)
Little Bird and PASS use ICTs to enhance the modernisation of
social services from several perspectives amongst others better synchronization of the public and private offer of services greater cost-effectiveness reduction of overbooking of services and at the same time reduction of the negative externalities affecting care givers due to the lack of solutions to reconcile family life social inclusion and wellbeing
A book for a roof (HR)
In A book for a roof ICT courses are used to provide homeless with a wider set of competences and to boost their self-esteem as well as to encourage take-up of available public social services The library created a Resource Centre in the shelter now staffed by homeless people The use of ICT allows focusing on the potential of homeless people and training them to become trainers for other people in need
EESTIEE (EE) In EESTIEE ICTs support citizens by enhancing their access to and use of information and services enabling self-help and reducing dependency from the state giving individuals access to both broader contacts and the local services to which they are entitled
Source IESI internal elaboration
The above social inclusion initiatives mainly target disadvantaged groups or people at risk
(eg the disabled people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in general) These
interventions aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to social inclusion by supporting
individuals They help disadvantaged people reach or maintain a higher level of social
inclusion and dignity while reducing the burden on caregivers In general the needs
addressed in this social policy area derive from a complex set of problems that require
the simultaneous provision of structural solutions and first-aid interventions cutting
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
The initiatives in this cluster offer a set of solutions based on a case-management
approach They focus on the provision of quality information and on helping all operators
involved (public and private) understand analyse and better answer the needs of
excluded people through the use of real-time information technology All the initiatives
analysed improve service delivery thanks to a shared information system This facilitates
the interaction of operators and citizens improves the efficiency of services through
more effective use of resources and less duplication of effort and facilitates the
cooperation of all operators who can work together better to provide a continuum of
care
ICT-enabled social innovations in these cases play several roles They enable services to
improve the cost-effectiveness of the collaboration and coordination of the public and
private actors involved in service delivery processes (in these initiatives those
stakeholders which are more aware of the needs of the vulnerable people play an
important role in partnerships) ICTs also act as game-changers by helping public and
private service providers understand the behaviour of people with needs This in turn
serves to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery
model Moreover ICTs provide stakeholders with new channels of effective
communication and new ways of interacting This also includes the beneficiaries which
increases their opportunities for social inclusion reduces the risk of isolation and
increases the opportunities to contribute to society ICT per se can also be a tool for
inclusion For example A Book for a Roof targets vulnerable people who are also
digitally excluded The lack of digital skills exacerbates existing social disadvantages
(Ellen J Helsper 2008) The initiative is structured around the strong belief that access to
computers the Internet and other forms of technology has a significant impact on these
peoplersquos chances of finding a job or building a social network
60
c) Impact of the cases on active and healthy ageing
The main focus of three of the cases we analysed was active and healthy ageing (see
Table 10 below)
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing
Initiative Summary of impact
TDP (Scotland) EKSOTE (FI) ACTION (SE)
In TDP EKSOTE and ACTION ICTs play a crucial role for monitoring activities (automatic data detention and information about health status) and for real time interactions with beneficiaries providing advisory services at home to prevent adverse events and unplanned hospitalizations The disruptive transformation of the care processes allows home care treatments for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF etc) and ageing patients in general Formal and informal care givers can benefit from using such innovations which promote self-management and empower users in the process of shifting the balance in terms of control and increasing the capacity to live independently at home
BSA (ES) In BSA ICTs allowed building the electronic record that gathers all the documents containing relevant information about the status and progress of a patient during the care process Thanks to the interoperability between information systems it eliminated the duplication of diagnostic tests The result is a tool for professionals which provides updated relevant information to guide them in the decision making process (it is also a useful database accessible from any location and care level) therefore promoting continuity of care and coordination between primary and specialised care IT also fosters the development of telemedicine and telecare services
Source IESI internal elaboration
Consideration of active and healthy ageing and healthcare is crucial in view of the
challenges posed by ageing societies to the current set-up of public services delivery The
IESI research has analysed the themes of ldquoIndependent living for older peoplerdquo
ldquoIntegrated health and social carerdquo and ldquoPrevention health promotion and rehabilitationrdquo
demonstrating the great potential ICT-enabled social innovation has in these fields
The three initiatives analysed here adopt new approaches to public services design and
implementation and follow the recent trends in the efforts made by Member States to
deal with growing societal challenges It has become increasingly difficult to match
service demand and supply adequately and there is constant pressure to achieve greater
cost-effectiveness reduce public expenditures for social services and improve
stakeholder participation in the service delivery process These new initiatives illustrate
the paradigm shift towards more proactive public interventions and social policies They
seem to confirm that the social innovation potential offered by the integration of services
plays an important role in reshaping social relationships and collaboration and in the
redesign of care processes In this context citizens and patients experience significant
changes in their roles and relationships with care professionals service providers care
givers etc
In these cases ICTs can drive the organizational transformation of service delivery The
main advantages of this transformation consist in the building of synergies among
services the avoidance of overlaps and the strengthening of inter-governmental and
inter-sectoral integration among the service providers These factors make management
systems more productive and service delivery processes more efficient ICTs help ensure
the overall sustainability of the service in the long term in line with the SIP objectives
which aim to promote active inclusion with significant savings in care services delivery
The impact on the care system and on care professionals is considerable because
integration can lead to the creation of new services which complement or substitute
existing ones Outcomes in terms of savings can be significant due to better alignment of
resources and needs and a redefinition of the role of public interventions and
professional care
61
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed
This section discusses the sustainability of the initiatives analysed and whether they can
be adopted in other contexts Although this discussion was not an explicit objective in the
analytical framework used for the cross-case analysis it is nevertheless related because
it takes a horizontal perspective on all the variables taken into account in our analysis
and the previous findings In fact the capacity of ICT to promote social innovation and
social investments can be measured in terms of the actual sustainability of an ICT
innovation and to what extent it can be scaled up in different contexts within the same
framework or in entirely new environments At the same time the contribution of ICT to
organizational change and to reshaping service design and delivery processes has a long-
term impact in light of the need to structurally reform social protection systems This
section therefore focuses particularly on the success factors that allow the transfer of
knowledge of the infrastructure and of the funding model to other contexts or to more
complex systems
We consider that our case studies show that the knowledge policies and solutions
developed in good practices can be promoted for wider development implementation and
transferability at a local national or European level Thus they can promote the
modernisation of social protection systems through funding policy leadership and by
fostering stronger cooperation among stakeholders Transferability refers to the potential
maximization of lessons learned from the experiences gained in a local setting or in a
pilot by implementing these experiences (or parts of them) in a wider context be it
geographical or organisational
All the cases analysed were selected for their potential sustainability and ease of wider
replication Nevertheless even though a case seemed to have good potential scalability
transferability always depends on a number of contextual variables which may affect the
actual chances of success in replicating the experience (eg funding political context
regulations etc)
Some of the cases analysed acknowledged this limitation and provided evidence of why
the potential for scaling up remained unexploited This seems to be the case of A Book
for a Roof where the need for resources and financial contributions from other library
networks or municipalities also at a European level was recognised as a barrier to
scaling up The lack of an effective policy at local regional national and EU level which
could push the adoption of ICT-based solutions in healthcare and finally the lack of
funding for large trials which could demonstrate the effectiveness of the services seemed
to be the main barriers to wider implementation of ACTION - even though the service
presented a high level of standardization and could be easily implemented in a wider
context and other EU Member States Only the Borarings municipality decided to make the
ACTION initiative part of its mainstream services for older citizens living at home and
their family carers Wider implementation by other municipalities did not follow mainly
because of the tension between the municipalities yearly budgets and the significant
long-term investment required Policy makers opted for cheaper quick-fix solutions over
services that implied waiting longer for returns An added difficulty is the tendency of
municipalities not to invest in prevention Our analysis shows that a barrier to the wider
implementation of the PASS initiative was its technology PASS relies on a new cloud
technology-based computing system which is not fully available outside Dublin Thus
further development and a specific data strategy would be needed for the initiative to be
replicated at national level or for it to be exported to other EU Member States Finally
PES also experienced difficulties as some of its target users were not sufficiently digitally
skilled or were illiterate and thus excluded from accessing services online (estimated to
be 10 of citizens) In this case the rigidity of the model and the lack of a multi-channel
approach which would allow direct contact or telephone assistance seemed to hinder the
transferability of the initiative It seems that a mix of physical and digital services may be
required as digital services do not allow the inclusion of those who lack digital skills
62
On the other hand some of the cases analysed have already been transferred or will be
scaled up We identified three main groups of successfully transferred practices
Scaling up and transferring activities This is the case of SDW and BSA SDW
scaled up to national level successful projects which had been tested at local level
Out of 25 projects 7 projects will be implemented nationally by 2017 Scaling up
BSA proved to have considerable potential since it allowed external professionals
to work within the integrated care system and private investments to flow in The
initiative mainly relied on the integration of the social and health care
departments This process has been consolidated in Catalonia There were plans
to scale this initiative up to national level as it had been identified and showcased
as a good practice by the Spanish government It could also be transferred to
other countries and has indeed been studied by other international institutions
(such as the University of Udine) The case of EESTIEE is somewhat different
Here there were no plans to develop further functionalities content andor
services in the future release of the gateway However the benefits reaped will be
used to include services from other fields (eg adding notification services in
cooperation with various institutions informing users about this service and
expanding entrepreneur-orientated functionalities) EKSOTE has been considered
a good practice by the Finnish government A law has been passed according to
which all districts in Finland will have to adopt this kind of service model by the
end of 2019 thus the initiative will be scaled up nationwide The piloting system
takes advantage of existing components in social and healthcare sector
organizations which do not require major investments or changes in the
architecture system The existing methodology makes it perfectly possible to
transfer the experience to other European contexts The transferability of some
initiatives has been indirectly confirmed by funding activities for example TDP
organised a number of knowledge dissemination activities and various knowledge
transfer events (conferences workshops etc) in the UK and Europe The
evaluation of the programme was also widely shared electronically It is one of the
good practices in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing for which Scotland was awarded 3 Star Reference Site status Evidence of
its transferability can be seen in the launch of two important programmes jointly
funded by the EC and the Scottish Government (United4Health and SmartCare)
which support people with long-term conditions living in Ayrshire Renfrewshire
and Lanarkshire The objective is to leverage telecare services in these local
communities and to transfer the experiences of Scottish telecare across the EU28
W2W transferred the British W2W experience to the Region of Malopolska where
the model is perfectly replicated The Polish Government is planning to expand the
project to other regions and has devised a new systematic intervention to re-
engineer the social welfare support to the long-term unemployed at a national
level based on the outcomes of W2W
Technology and structural transferability This was the case of Pocircle Emploi that
was scaled up by the agreement signed in December 2014 for 2015-2018 with
the Government and UNEDIC The scale up of the initiative was oriented to
enhance the opportunities offered by the portal in the direction of establishing
itself as the coordinator of French intermediation initiatives and as an aggregator
of other market players The CBSS experience also provides important lessons for
governments that are striving to improve services for the users and especially for
companies by adapting internal and external processes with the help of modern
technologies The CBSS systemrsquos architecture could evolve into a Pan-European
service andor be transferred to other European contexts thanks to its
compliance with international technological standards Little Bird was considered
good practice by another 25 German municipalities which are planning to
implement it Local administrations showed great interest in the initiative because
it helps make significant cost savings In addition all the modules of the solution
are closely integrated which makes it highly adaptable to local requirements Its
63
open software means that this project can be easily scaled up in other
communities cities and countries and evolve to a European level Another
relevant example of technology transferability is the case of INPS which takes
advantage of the ldquomobile erardquo Due to the decisive role that its ICT assets can
play within the Italian public sector the Italian Institute of Social Security (INPS)
is becoming a ldquohubrdquo for Italian institutions not only in employment services but
also in the overall social protection system INPS has invested significantly in ICT
infrastructure in the last decade in order to implement the INPS digitalisation of
services It is now in a position to lead the public inter-operability and information
exchange process The legal framework envisaged for the implementation of the
Public Connectivity System (SPC) which is one of the main pillars of the
implementation of the European Digital Agenda also contributed to this
64
6 Conclusions
61 Key results
611 General contribution from ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives
To sum up it is worth repeating that ICTs do make an important contribution especially
when combined with further elements that through the case studies and the cross-case
analysis have been identified as key drivers of successful ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives
The involvement of beneficiaries in all phases of an initiative (including design
implementation and follow-up) might be enabled by the use of ICTs and in turn it
contributes to exploiting one of the main potential attributes of ICTs ie to support the
development of new relational mechanisms As a consequence the building of
partnerships and stakeholder commitment at different levels (eg to implement or even
jointly finance an initiative) is crucial to take full advantage from the contribution offered
by ICTs especially when the public sector needs to implement a policy targeted to
different types of beneficiaries In particular political commitment and a certain ability to
shape broad policy frameworks are both conducive to the use and development of ICT in
social services The development of monitoring tools alongside an ICT-based innovation
to demonstrate results and facilitate transferability is a further key factor for making an
initiative successful
Moreover it is worth noticing that the contribution ICTs are able to offer is especially
strengthened by clear information exchange and multi-channel approaches This depends
on the fact that such approaches ndash as emerged from the different case studies analysed
ndash are a key enabler of integration ICTs facilitate the sharing of information and enable
the integration of services thus enhancing the impact of social services delivery
As detailed in presenting the case studies and the cross-case analysis it is possible to
appreciate that the contribution of ICTs to integration processes and therefore to the
improvements of social service delivery might assume different shapes
For instance ICTs create client pathways and focus on outcomes they enable a more
targeted and personalized approach that allows clients with complex needs to receive
coordinated services Moreover ICTs provide evidence of demonstrable improvements to
outcomes delivered
ICTs also allow greater coordination between different levels of government which is
essential to improving system integrity and reducing duplication and gaps in service
provision This contribution might have positive consequences also with regard to the
social service provider accountability When the latter is the public sector greater
accountability and transparency mean in turn a contribution in terms of their democratic
legitimacy establishing indeed a closer and trustworthy relationship between itself and
the citizens
In line with the mentioned improvement of the relationships between the public sector
and citizens a further contribution ICTs give to the simplification and an easier take-up
of services needs to be mentioned the consolidation of the one-stop-shopno-stop-shop
approach Through such a way to re-design the access to services users are provided
with a single entry point into social protection systems making of ICTs an important
medium for the institution-citizen relationship
By bringing together stakeholders from public private and not-for-profit sectors in formal
networks ICTs help to address complex social problems through coordinated local level
interventions including resource sharing and joint social investment strategies In other
words the potential of ICTs through partnership creation and network integration
allows offering clients seamless assistance and care
65
Overall ICTs play an important role in the modernization of social protection systems
enhancing social services quality and equal opportunityfair access ICTs are especially
effective with regard several dimensions ICTs can (i) support the process of social
services delivery reform by offering opportunities for open collaboration and
participation (ii) help to fully digitalise processes and improve payment mechanisms
which saves on operational costs and provides benefits (iii) increase the effectiveness of
interventions and reducing social services fragmentation and duplication across
organisations and countries (iv) make social services more proactive and closer to the
point of need by identifying and targeting beneficiaries effectively (v) provide a way of
increasing accountability while transforming and extending service delivery to the
underserved
612 ICT-enabled social innovation contribution to the implementation of the Social Investment Package objectives
The case studies and the cross-case analysis provide useful insights into the factors that
have been critical to an initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social
innovation They also show how these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the
Social Investment Package objectives
a) Modernizing social protection systems spending more effectively and
efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies or departments
many initiatives reshaped the public model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach (EESTIEE) In particular the exploitation of ICTs
resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the
social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
(INPS) The contribution ICTs give to the modernization of social protection system is
often and mainly related to their ability to reduce to a minimum the administrative
burden for citizens companies and civil servants (CBSS)
b) Implementing active inclusion strategies investing in peoples skills and
capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the
labour market
The combination of employment information management and ICT training allows the
redesigning of the production process of services the improvement of integration
opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of fragile people especially into the
labour market (A Book for a Roof W2W ACTION) The integration of services
facilitated by the use of ICTs aims to empower people especially homeless people older
people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at
home or to find job opportunities It also helped improve the quality of life of the
beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers Moreover the equal access to health
and social care services to all citizens in the region of operation across the boundaries of
municipalities directly contributes to strengthening the inclusiveness of social protection
systems and therefore to enhancing peoples opportunities to integrate in society
(EKSOTE TDP)
c) Investing in individuals throughout their life ensuring that social protection
systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
By recognising the importance of skills and active inclusion strategies through psycho-
social support many initiatives succeeded in boosting beneficiaries motivation which
66
responded to their needs at a critical moment in their lives (A Book for a Roof W2W
ACTION) The contribution offered by ICTs often consists of changing the paradigm for
the delivery service model which might shift towards a beneficiary-centric approach
reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to
peoples changing needs (INPS BSA CBSS) The ability to adapt to peoples needs is
achieved by ICTs through personalization of services especially important in the field of
employment support services where it contributes to improving job demand and supply
matching by aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations (Pocircle Emploi PES)
62 Policy implications
Findings from the analysis of case studies allowed us to draw some general policy
implications for policy making at local national and EU level A first set of policy
implications is related to the issue of welfare systems sustainability With regard to this
first dimension the aim is to spot some major social issues in which ICTs might offer an
important support without structural or wider reform attempts A second set of policy
implications is based on the fact that in order to take full advantage of the potential ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives have some contextual and complementary policy
initiatives are needed Finally a third set of policy implications mainly deals with the
needed administrative changes and the required financial support especially in view of a
more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social innovation potential
I Not only are ICTs enabling factors for the modernisation of social protection
systems they can also safeguard the sustainability of welfare systems
themselves
As some of the cases analysed seem to demonstrate for instance CBSS PASS SDW
and BSA ICTs contribute to solving the structural imbalance between emerging and
growing social needs (which require that services be implemented more effectively) and
the decreasing or limited financial resources available to do so
In particular the cross-case analysis shows that ICT-enabled social innovation can help
social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected
by different health and social conditions and require multiple services
Technological advances have made it possible to link information across
programme areas and to identify individuals with complex needs and hence target
them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used
to having access to information and services through web and mobile devices
New digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with
service providers across a range of industries including the social services and
more generally the welfare area
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour
market participation of all members of the working-age population A new wave of
welfare-to-work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments
trying to reduce demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from
finding sustained employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and
demand
Cope with budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to
widespread public sector austerity measures in many developed economies These
pressures mean that service integration and optimisation are becoming
increasingly attractive options for governments looking for higher cost
67
effectiveness in service delivery Allocating higher percentages of resources and
incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated
to the most effective and efficient initiatives They must be scaled up or
transferred to other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics
functionalities allow us to leverage the evidence collected and better allocate
resources on the basis of the specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information
regarding the policy interventions undertaken and its results This data can then
be shared in order to inform policy makers and support the decision making
process to develop or adapt future policies
II Technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for social innovation
and social investment to fully deliver on their promises
As shown in some of the cases ICTs are crucial but sometimes not sufficient to achieve
the expected benefits For ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to fully realise their
potential other enabling factors must come into play
Workforce development the empowerment of workers (eg in care) and job
seekers requires investment in their skills and competences They must also be
given new and flexible ways of participating in the labour market Employers and
public institutions must invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation
working groups They must also envisage staff co-location and develop joint
training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and fill any
skills gaps that may arise This also requires the creation of new roles and a
review of existing jobs in order to adapt them to the changing environment and
the evolving needs of the workforce (see ACTION INPS Digitalization of services
and Pocircle Emploi)
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third
sector providers should be promoted and the development of innovative
initiatives should be facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for
the integration of such practices into actual practices and for scaling up (see TDP
PES NL and EKSOTE)
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms for funding schemes
seem to be efficient in promoting coordinated interventions to address common
and shared social problems in an outcome-oriented approach Other schemes
such as ldquopersonal budgetsrdquo (sums of money allocated by a local authority to
service users to be spent on services to meet their needs) produce effective
incentives because they enable users and case managers to freely purchase the
desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they foster the creation
of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are closer to the
needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms have been implemented in
order to encourage integration and collaboration among different service providers
(see W2W and A Book for a Roof)
III ICTs development and implementation must be combined with re-
engineering of organizational structures so that they can cope with the
innovations This also requires finding resources eg the European
structural funds
Simplification of service procedures through an open-government approach the
increase in information and knowledge exchange and in openness and
transparency provide new opportunities for public administrations to offer user-
68
friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs and the administrative
burden The open government approach can encourage this transformation by
opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration for the design
production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and
decisions enhance transparency accountability and trust in government (see
EESTIEE Little Bird and PES)
Use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 period to
further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector National and regional
authorities are in charge of drafting their Partnership Contracts - Partnership
Agreement with the European Commission which form the basis for delivering ESI
funds These institutions can therefore play a proactive role in both the allocation
of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-financing
requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another (see W2W)
63 Future research
The case studies and the cross-case analysis have helped us identify a number of gaps
that future research could address More systematic collection and publication of
data on relevant initiatives are needed In order to gather as much information as
possible on the identified initiatives and to collect as many relevant opinions and points
of view that could add value to the information gathered through desk research the
research team interviewed relevant stakeholders for each of the selected initiatives
However even though the interviews made it possible to draft in-depth analysis reports
and allowed the research team to better understand the case studies getting in touch
with additional stakeholders would have been desirable Since information is often
difficult to find direct interactions with stakeholders can be the only way to access
relevant and important information on activities performed resources allocated
outcomes achieved barriers encountered and lessons learnt More efforts should go into
making the results of these initiatives public and data (eg on outcomes) should be
more systematically collected Another difficulty faced by the research team is the
breadth of the research field and the limited resources available for developing case
studies which are a time and resource-consuming exercise per se Indeed developing 14
case studies covering 14 different countries has been a challenging exercise which only
gives a snapshot on half the EU Member States In order to obtain a more solid evidence
base greater coverage of the different services and geographical areas would be
desirable This would enhance the validity of the findings in the cross-case analysis A
continuation of this research should perhaps focus on a specific area such as employment
or social inclusion Further initiatives could be identified in that selected area through
country studies each of which would target a given number of initiatives This could be
effectively achieved by involving key informants in the selected countries
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect the direction of future
research Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes
have also been recognised as part of a strategy in support of social policy innovation
initiatives and it could be interesting to explore these further since they could offer the
policy maker new organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business
models effectively contribute to social change
It is important to answer the question of whether social policy innovation strategies
especially those enabled by ICTs can be embedded in the policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other words it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox
69
At the same time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies
will not be the panacea for all welfare state challenges but rather one of the social
protection layers of future welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the
future of welfare systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as
supplementary minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits
schemes
Nevertheless social policy innovation initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an
important role represent an important means of modernising social protection systems
ICTs need to be used as part of a broader strategy designed and led by the public sector
which becomes an even more important actor and will also take on the task of
coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
Thus we suggest that a broader inventory of effective social policy innovation initiatives
should be compiled and researched This would help us answer some of the questions
that emerged from the IESI research and described in this report lsquohow can the public
sector ie the Member States pursue this ambitious taskrsquo lsquowhat kind of tools do
Member States need to harness a multi-layer welfare system of this kindrsquo and
especially lsquowhat type of knowledge do national and supranational policymakers need to
deal with such an important and complex responsibilityrsquo
To address these and others questions the JRC is considering establishing a permanent
online observatory and knowledge platform to monitor and transfer innovative practices
of social policy innovation This platform will focus on social services delivery mechanisms
and welfare governance models
To support this process further data collection and revision of the conceptual and
analytical framework underpinning the IESI research are needed This requires a broader
unit of analysis which can enrich the findings so far and gather and represent the main
features of what the EU Commission has labelled acutesocial policy innovationacute This will also
shape the future research that could become the backbone of a JRC Observatory on
Social Policy Innovation
70
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EU-SPC (2014a) Social Protection Performance Monitor (SPPM) dashboard results
Report of the Social Protection Committee on the social situation in the European
Union
EU-SPC (2014b) Review of recent social policy reforms for a fair and competitive
Europe Report of the Social Protection Committee on the social situation in the
European Union
Fagnani J (2011) OECDIFP Project on the Future of Families to 2030 WorkFamily
Life Balance Future Trends and Challenges OECD
Ferrera M A Hemerijck and M Rhodes (2000) The Future of Social Europe Recasting
Work and Welfare in the New Economy Report prepared for the Portuguese
Presidency of the EU Oeiras Celta Editora
Ferrera M and Hemerijk A (2003) lsquoRecalibrating Europersquos Welfare Regimesrsquo in
Zeitlin J and Trubek DB (eds) Governing Work and Welfare in the New
Economy European and American Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
(pp 88-128)
74
Ferrera M and Jessoula M (2007) lsquoItaly A Narrow Gate for Path-Shiftlsquo in Immergut
EM Anderson KM and Schulze I (eds) The Handbook of West European
Pension Politics Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 396ndash453)
Ferrera M Maino F (2014) Social Innovation Beyond the State Italyrsquos Second
Welfare in a European Perspective 2WEL - Social Innovation Beyond the State
2014
Ferrera M and Gualmini E (2000) lsquoReforms Guided by Consensus The Welfare State
in Italian Transitionrsquo West European Politics 23(2) pp 187ndash208
Fimreite A L Flo Y Selle P Tranvik T (2007) Naringr sektorbaringndene brytes
Utfordringer for den norske velferdsmodellen I Tidsskrift for Samfunnsforskning
48 2 pp 165-96
Fleckenstein T (2011) lsquoThe Politics of Ideas in Welfare State Transformation Christian
Democracy and the Reform of Family Policy in Germanyrsquo Social Politics
International Studies in Gender State amp Society 18(4) 543ndash71
Flynn N (2002) lsquoExplaining the New Public Management The importance of contextrsquo in
K McLaughlin SP Osborne amp E Ferlie eds New Public Management Current
Trends and Future Prospects Routledge London and New York
Foumlrster MF and Toacuteth IG (2001) lsquoChild Poverty and Family Transfers in the Czech
Republic Hungary and Polandrsquo Journal of European Social Policy 11(4) pp
324ndash41
Fultz E and Ruck M (2001) lsquoPension Reform in Central and Eastern Europe
Emerging Issues and Patternsrsquo International Labour Review 140(1) 19ndash43
Giddens A (1998) Duacutesledky modernity (The Consequences of Modernity) Praha
Slon
Gioldsmith S (2010) The power of Social Innovation How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite
Community netwoks for Good Jossey-Bass Books
Glasby J Dickinson H and Smith J (2010) Creating NHS local the relationship
between English local government and the NHS Social Policy and Administration
44(3) 244-264
Goul Andersen J (2007) lsquoThe Danish Welfare State as lsquoPolitics for Marketsrsquo Combining
Equality and Competitiveness in a Global Economyrsquo New Political Economy
12(1) 71ndash8
Goul Andersen J (2011) lsquoDenmark Ambiguous Modernisation of an Inclusive
Unemployment Protection Systemrsquo Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating
the Risk of Unemployment Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 187ndash207)
Graziano PR and Winkler J (2012) Governance and Implementation of Activation
Policies Czech Republic and Italy Compared International Journal of Sociology
and Social Policy 32(56) 340ndash52
Greve B (2002) Vouchers Nye styrings- og leveringsmaringder i velfaeligrdsstaten
Koslashbenhavn DJOslashFrsquos forlag
Grossi G G Marcou and Ch Reichard (2010) ldquoComparative aspects of institutional
variants for local public service provisionrdquo in Wollman H And GMarcou The
Provision of Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and
Market Edward Elgar UKUSA pp 217-23
Gruening G (2001) Origin and theoretical basis of New Public Management
International Public Management Journal 41ndash25
Guilleacuten AM and Matsaganis M (2000) lsquoTesting the ldquoSocial Dumpingrdquo Hypothesis in
Southern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 10(2) 120ndash45
75
Guilleacuten AM Aacutelvarez S and P Adatildeo E Silva (2003) lsquoRedesigning the Spanish and
Portuguese Welfare States The Impact of Accession into the European Unionrsquo
South European Society and Politics 8(1ndash2) 231ndash68
Guthrie J (1998) Application of accrual accounting in the Australian public sector mdash
rhetoric or realityrsquo Financial Accountability and Management 141ndash 19
Haggard S and Kaufman R (2008) Development Democracy and Welfare States
Princeton Princeton University Press
Hardt A (2013) Wie Vereine von Ganztagsschulen profitieren in ldquoHamburger
Abendblattrdquo 4 October
Hartz Commission (2002) Modern Services on the Labour Market Report of the
Commission Berlin Federal Ministry for Employment and Economic Affairs
Haumlusermann S (2010) The politics of welfare state reform in continental Europe
modernisation in hard times Cambridge University Press
Hautamaki A (2010) Sustainable Innovation A Next Age of Innovation and Finland s
Innovation Policy Helsinki SITRA
Hay C (2004) lsquoCommon Trajectories Variable Paces Divergent Outcomes Models of
European Capitalism under Conditions of Complex Economic Interdependencersquo
Review of International Political Economy 11(2) 231ndash62
Hemerijck A (2013a) Changing Welfare States Oxford Oxford University Press
Hemerijck A (2013b) 21st Century European Social Investment Imperatives Paper
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Hemerijck A and Marx I (2010) Continental Welfare at a Crossroads The Choice
between Activation and Minimum Income Protection in Belgium and the
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welfare reform in continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
(pp 129-55)
Hemerijck A and Sleegers P (2007) lsquoThe Netherlands Social and Economic
Normalization in an Era of European Union Controversyrsquo in Kvist J and Saari J
(eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol Policy (pp 175ndash94)
Hemerijck A Draumlbing V Vis B Nelson M Soentken M (2013) European Welfare
States in Motion NEUJOBS Working Paper NO D52 March 2013
Henriksen LS and Bundesen P (2004) The moving frontier in Denmark Voluntary-
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601ndash621
Hood C (1991) A public management for all seasons Public Administration 693ndash19
Hood C (1995) Emerging issues in public administration Public Administration
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Houwing H (2010) A Dutch Approach to Flexicurity Negotiated Change in the
Organization of Temporary Work Amsterdam University of Amsterdam
Hubert A et al (2010) Empowering people driving change Social innovation in the
European Union EC Brussels
Hubert A Carvalho DdG amp Goudin P (2014) Social Innovation a Decade of
Changes BEPA report prepared for the European Commisison
IE NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash Ireland
ILO (International Labour Organization) (1952) C102 ndash Convention (No 102) Social
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76
Immergut E Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) (2007) The Handbook of Pension
Politics in Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press
Inglot T (2008) Welfare States in East Central Europe 1919ndash2004 Cambridge
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Irish Government (2006) National Report for Ireland on Strategies for Social Protection
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ISSA (2014) Social Security Programs Throughout the World Europe SSA Publication
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ISSA (2013) Europe Enhancing the sustainability of comprehensive social security
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Jensen C (2008) ldquoWorlds of welfare services and transfersrdquo Journal of European
Social Policy 18 151 pp 151-162
Jessoula M and Alti T (2010) ldquoItaly An Uncompleted Departure from Bismarckrdquo in B
Palier (ed) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare Reform in
Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Jessoula M and Vesan P (2011) lsquoItaly Limited Adaptation of an Atypical Systemrsquo in
Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National
Adaptations to Post-Industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford
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Kangas O (2007) lsquoFinland Labour Markets Against Politicsrsquo in Immergut E
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Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 248-96)
Kangas O Lundberg U and Ploug N (2006) lsquoThree Routes to a Pension Reform
Politics and Institutions in Reforming Pensions in Denmark Finland and
Swedenrsquo Arbetsrapport 10 Stockholm Institute for Futures Studies
Kautto M (2002) ldquoInvesting in services in West European welfare statesrdquo Journal of
European Social Policy 12 1 pp 53-65
KELLY G amp MUERS S (2002) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical framework for
publicservice reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
KELLY G MULGAN G amp MUERS S (2004) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical
frameworkfor public service reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
Keune M (2006) lsquoThe European Social Model and Enlargementrsquo in Jepsen M and
Serrano A(eds) Unwrapping the European Social Model Bristol Policy (pp
167ndash188)
King D (1995) Actively Seeking Work The Politics of Unemployment and Welfare
Policy in the United States and Great Britain Chicago University of Chicago
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Koumlhler P Thoreacuten K and Ulmestig R (2008) Activation Policies in Sweden
lsquoSomething Old Something New Something Borrowed and Something Bluersquo in
Eichhorst W KonleSeidl R and Kaufmann O (eds) Activating Labour Market
Policy A Comparative Study Berlin Springer Academic Publishers
Korthouwer GHP (2010) Party Politics as we Knew It Failure to Dominate
Government Intraparty Dynamics and Welfare Reforms in Continental Europe
Oisterwijk Uitgeverij BOXPress
KPMG International (2012) Leading practices in the human and social services sector
77
KPMG International (2013a) Future State 2030 The Global Megatrends shaping
governments
KPMG International (2013b) The Integration Imperative reshaping the delivery of
human and social services
KPMG International (2014) What works Creating new value with patients carers and
communities
KPMG International (2014) ldquoA new vision of value ndash Connecting corporate and societal
value creationrdquo
KPMG International (2014) Netherlands Buurtzorg empowered nurses focus on patient
value in KPMG International (Ed) Value walks Successful habits for improving
workforce motivation and productivity pp 20- 24
Kubicek K amp Hagen M (2001) One-stop-government in Europe An overview
Bremen University of Bremen
Kuhlman S and P Fedele (2010) ldquoNew public management in continental Europe
local government medernalization in Germany France and Italy from a
comparative perspectiverdquo in Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) The Provision of
Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and Market
Cheltenham Edward Elgar
Lapsley I (1999) Accounting and the New Public Management Instruments of
substantive efficiency or a rationalising modernityrsquo Financial Accountability and
Management 15201ndash7
Lapsley I (2001) Accounting organization and the statersquo Financial Accountability and
Management 17299ndash 302
Larsen CA and Andersen JG (2009) lsquoHow New Economic Ideas Changed the Danish
Welfare State The Case of Neoliberal Ideas and Highly Organized Social
Democratic Interestsrsquo Governance An International Journal of Policy
Administration and Institutions 22(2) pp 239ndash61
laville J-L (2007) L eacuteconomie solidaire Une perspective Internationale Paris
Hachette Litteacuteratures
Lubelcovaacute G (2012) ldquoSocial innovations in the context of modernisationrdquo Socioloacutegia-
Slovak Sociological Review (3) 291-313
Maino F (2013) Tra nuovi bisogni e vincoli di bilancio protagonisti risorse
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secondo welfare in Italia 2013 Torino Centro Ricerca e Documentazione Ricerca
Luigi Einaudi pp 17-46
Marmot M Allen J Bell R Bloomer E amp Goldblatt P (2012) WHO European
review of social determinants of health and the health divide The
Lancet 380(9846) 1011-1029
McSweeney B (1994) Management by accounting in A Hopwood amp P Miller eds
Accounting as Social and Institutional Practice An Introduction Cambridge
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Misuraca G et al (2011) Interoperability Challenges for ICT-enabled Governance
Towards a pan-European Conceptual Framework J Theor Appl Electron
Commer Res ISSN 0718ndash1876 Electron Version 6 1 95ndash111
Misuraca G et al (2013) From Practice to Theory and back to Practice Reflexivity in
Measurement and Evaluation for Evidence-based Policy Making in the
Information Society Gov Inf Q 30 Supple S68ndashS82
Misuraca G et al (2015) ICT-Enabled Social Innovation in support of the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
78
Misuraca G(2012) ldquoAssessing ICT-enabled innovation for governance and policy
makingrdquo PhD Thesis - College of Management and Technology EPFL Lausanne
Switzerland EPFL Switzerland
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Digital Governance in the Public Sector challenging
the Policy-Makerrsquos innovation dilemma 8th International Conference on Theory
and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2014)
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Is Open Data Enough E-Governance Challenges for
Open Government Int J Electron Gov Res 10 1 19ndash36
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2015) Shaping public sector innovation theory an
interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation Electron
Commer Res 1ndash20
Molina O (2011) ldquoPolicy Concertation Trade Unions and the Transformation of the
Spanish Welfare Staterdquo en Guilleacuten AM Leoacuten M (eds) The Spanish Welfare
State in European Context Ashgate Farnham pp77-96
Montero A van Duijn S Zonneveld N Minkman M Nies H (2016) Integrated
Social Services in Europe European Social Network Brighton
Moore MH Creating public value strategic management in government Harvard
University Press Cambridge Mass (1995)
Morel N (2007) lsquoFrom Subsidiarity to lsquoFree Choicersquo Child‐ and Elder‐care Policy
Reforms in France Belgium Germany and the Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy amp
Administration 41(6) 618ndash37
Morel N Palier B amp Palme J (2012) Towards a social investment welfare state
ideas policies and challenges Policy Press
Mulgan G (2007) Social Innovation What it is why it matters and how it can be
accelerated London Young Foundation
Mulgan G (2009) The art of Public Strategy Mobilizing Power and Knowledge for the
Common Good Oxford
Mu ller K (2002) lsquoBeyond Privatization Pension Reform in the Czech Republic and
SloveniarsquoJournal of European Social Policy 12(4) 293ndash306
Munday B (2003) European Social Services A Map of Characteristics Report prepared
for the Council of Europe
Murphy M (2007) lsquoThe Emerging Irish Workfare State and Its Implications for Local
Developmentrsquo in Taming the Tiger Social Exclusion in a Globalised Ireland
Dublin TASC A Think Tank for action on Social Change (pp 85ndash112)
Murphy M (2008) lsquoIdeas Interests and Institutions Explaining Irish Social Security
Policyrsquo Combat Poverty Agency Research Working Paper 0808
Murphy-Lawless J (2000) lsquoChanging Womenrsquos Lives Child Care Policy in Irelandrsquo
Feminist Economics 6(1) 89ndash94
Natali D Pavolini E (2014) Prowelfare Providing welfare through social dialogue A
new role for social partners Executive Summary Results of the comparative
analysis of Voluntary Occupational Welfare
ND NSR (2014) National Social Report 2015 ndash Netherlands
Nelson H (2008) ldquoPublic employment and multilevel governance in unitary and federal
systemsrdquo in H-U Derlien and BG Peters (eds) The State at Work (volume 2)
Comparative Public Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar 33-64
Nelson M (2012) lsquoMaking Markets with Active Labor Market Policies the Influence of
Political Parties Welfare State Regimes and Economic Change on Spending on
Different Types of Policiesrsquo European Political Science Review
79
Nesporova A (1999) Employment and Labour Market Policies in Transition Economies
GenevaILO
Nikolai (2012) Towards social investment Patterns of public policy in the OECD worldrdquo
in N
Noumllke A and Vliegenthart A (2009) lsquoEnlarging the Varieties of Capitalism The
Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europersquo World
Politics 61 670ndash702
OECD (1997) Managing Across Levels of Government Part One Overview Paris
OECD (2005) Pensions at a Glance Public Policies across OECD Countries Paris OECD
OECD (2014) Society at a Glance 2014 OECD Social Indicators OECD Publishing
Olson O J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds (1998) Global Warning mdash Debating International
Developments in New Public Financial Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag
Bergen Norway
Orenstein M (1994) The Political Success of Neo-Liberalism in the Czech Republic
CERGE-EI Working Paper Series 68
Oslashsterud Oslashyvind and Per Selle (2006) Power and Democracy in Norway The
Transformation of Norwegian Politics In Scandinavian Political Studies 29 1 pp
25- 46
Palier B (ed) (2010) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare State
Reform in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Pallot J (1999) The New Zealand revolution in O Olson J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds
Global Warning mdash Debating International Developments in New Public Financial
Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag Bergen Norway 156ndash84
Pallot J (2000) Experimenting in the Antipodes Long Term Financial Planning in New
Zealand Local Government EIASM International Conference on Accounting
Auditing and Management in Public Sector Reforms Zaragoza Spain
Palme J (2005) Features of the Swedish Pension Reform The Japanese Journal of
Social Security Policy 4(1) 42ndash53
Peters B G (2008) ldquoRegional government and public employmentrdquo in H-U Derlien
and BG Peters BG (eds) The State at Work (volume 2) Comparative Public
Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar pp 65-76
Phillis J A Deiglmeier K ndash Miller D T 2008 Rediscovering Social Innovation In
Stanford Social Innovation Review fall 2008 (wwwssirevieworgarticlesentry)
Phills J A (2009) Rediscovery social innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review
Pisano U Lange L and Berger G (2015) Social Innovation in Europe an overview
of the concept of social innovation in the context of European Initiatives and
practices ESDN Quarterly Report ndeg36 Report prepared by the Institute for
Managing Sustainability of Vianna University of Economy and Business
PL NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Poland
PL SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Poland
Plantenga J Remery C and Takacs J (2012) lsquoPublic Support to Young Families in
the European Unionrsquo in Work Family Policies and Transitions to Adulthood in
Europe Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Pollitt C amp H Summa (1997) Trajectories of reform Public management change in four
countries Public Money amp Management Jan-March7ndash18
Pollitt C Bouckaert G (2000) Public Management Reform A Comparative Analysis
Oxford University Press Oxford
80
Pollitt Christopher (2003) The essential public manager Berkshire Open University
Press
Porter M E amp Kramer M R (2011) Creating shared value Harvard business
review 89(12) 62-77
Potucek M (2007) lsquoThe Czech Republic Tradition Compatible with Modernisation in
Kvist J and Saari J (eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol
Policy Press (pp 137ndash52)
Rhodes M (2000) lsquoRestructuring the British Welfare State Between Domestic
Constraints and Global Imperativesrsquo in Scharpf FW and Schmidt VA (eds)
Welfare and Work in the Open Economy Oxford Oxford University Press (pp
19ndash68)
Russell H OrsquoConnell PJ and McGinnity F (2007) lsquoThe Impact of Flexible Working
Arrangements on Work-Life Conflict and Work Pressure in Irelandrsquo Economic and
Social Research Institute Working Paper
Sacchi S and Bastagli F (2005) lsquoItaly Striving Uphill but Stopping Halfwayrsquo in
Ferrera M (ed) Welfare State Reform In Southern Europe Fighting Poverty
and Social Exclusion In Italy Spain Portugal and Greece London Routledge
(pp 84ndash140)
Sapir A (2006) Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models JCMS
Journal of Common Market Studies Volume 44 Issue 2 pages 369ndash390 June
2006
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2007) lsquoRe-familisation of the Czech Family Policy and Its
Causesrsquo International Review of Sociology 17(2) 319ndash41
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2009) lsquoNeo‐liberalism by Decay The Evolution of the
Czech Welfare Statersquo Social Policy amp Administration 43(2) 186ndash203
Schludi M (2005) The Reform of Biskmarckian Pension System Amsterdam
Amsterdam University Press
Schmidt VV (2002) lsquoDoes Discourse Matter in the Politics of Welfare State
Adjustmentlsquo Comparative Political Studies 35(2) 168ndash93
SE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Sweden
Sirovaacutetka T Hora O (2011) lsquoThe Czech Republic -Activation Diversification and
Marginalisationrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 255ndash77)
Sivesind KH (2014) The changing role of private and nonprofit welfare provision in
Norway Sweden and Denmark and consequences for the Scandinavian model
Paper for the 12th Annual ESPAnet Conference Oslo 4-6 September 2014
Sjoumlberg O (2011) lsquoSweden - Ambivalent Adjustmentrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D
(eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-
industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 208ndash
31)
Sotiropoulos D amp Bourikos D (2014) Economic Crisis Social Solidarity and the
Voluntary Sector in Greece Journal of Power Politics amp Governance Vol 2 No
2 pp 33-53
Spear R Defourny J Faverou L Laville JL (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in
Europe The Contribution of The Social Economy Aldershot Ashgate
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
81
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Szelewa D Polakowski MP (2008) lsquoWho Cares Changing Patterns of Childcare in
Central and Eastern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 18(2) 115ndash31
Taylor G (2005) Negotiated Governance and Public Policy in Ireland Manchester
Manchester University Press
Toharia L and Malo MA (2000) lsquoThe Spanish Experiment Pros and Cons of
Flexibility at the Marginrsquo in Esping-Andersen G and Regini M (eds) Why
Deregulate Labour Markets Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 307ndash36)
Torfing J (1999) lsquoWorkfare With Welfare Recent Reforms of the Danish Welfare
Statersquo Journal of European Social Policy 9(1) pp 5ndash28
Torres L (2004) Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental
countries Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 63 Issue 3 pages
99ndash112 September 2004
Trampusch C (2009) Der erschoumlpfte Sozialstaat Transformation eines Politikfeldes
Frankfurt Campus
UK NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash United Kingdom
Valentova M (2012) lsquoEmployment Breaks due to Childcare in The Czech Republic
Before and After 1989rsquo Work Employment and Society 26(2) 266-81
Van Berkel R de Graaf W and Sirovaacutetka T (eds) (2011) The Governance of
Welfare States in Europe Houndmills Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan
Van Hooren F and Becker U (2012) lsquoOne Welfare State Two Care Regimes
Understanding Developments in Child and Elderly Care Policies in the
Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy and Administration 46 (1) 83-107
Van Oorschot W (2004) Balancing work and welfare activation and flexicurity policies
in The Netherlands 1980ndash2000 International Journal of Social Welfare Volume
13 Issue 1 pages 15ndash27 January 2004
Večerniacutek J (2008) Social Policy in the Czech ldquoRepublicrdquo The Past and the Future of
Reforms East European Politics amp Society 22(3) 496-517
Visser J (2002) lsquoThe First Part-time Economy in the World a Model to Be Followedrsquo
Journal of European Social Policy 12(1) 23ndash42
Visser J and Hemerijck A (1997) A Dutch Miracle Job Growth Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wall K (2009) lsquoPortugal and Spain Two Pathways in Southern Europersquo in Kamerman
SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies Children
Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp 207ndash26)
Weishaupt JT (2010) lsquoA Silent Revolution New Management Ideas and the
Reinvention of European Public Employment Servicesrsquo Socio-Economic Review
8(3) 461ndash86
Weishaupt JT (2011) From the Manpower Revolution to the Activation Paradigm
Explaining Institutional Continuity and Change in an Integrating Europe
Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wolk A Kreitz K (2008) Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact A Social-
Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social problems Cambridge Root Cause
Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) (2010b) The Provision of Public Services in Europe
Between State Local Government and Market Cheltenham Edward Elgar
82
Young R (2008) Social Value and the Future of Social Entrepreneurship In Social
Entrepreneurship New Models of Sustainable Social Change Oxford Oxford
University Press 2008
Zeitlin J (2003) Introduction Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy
European and American Experiments in Zeitlin J and Trubek D (eds)
Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy European and American
Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
List of web sites and repositories investigated
Web sites related to social sciences like H-Net Academiaedu Social Science Space
Social Science Research Social Science Statistics Center for Philosophy of Natural
and Social Science
Repository libraries related to social sciences like Social Science Open Access
Repository Economic and Social Research Council Social Sciences Health and
Education Library European Social Innovation Research
Universities related to social sciences like
TU-Dortmund (httpwwwwisotu-dortmunddewisodefakultaet) University of
Helsinki (httpstuhathalvihelsinkifiportalenpublicationssearchhtml)
University of Glasgow (httpeprintsglaacuk ) European University Institute
(httpcadmuseuieu ) Humboldt Universitaumlt Berlin (httpwww2hu-
berlindeforschungfdb )
Member States websites related to the Social Protection Systems
World Health Organization web site
London school of economics web site
DG EMPL website
EU Bookshop
Website of Institutions that promote awards to worthy initiatives (ie European Public
Sector Award - EPSA)
Professional human resources web sites like wwwhrcom in which it is possible to find
information focusing on major employment issues
Database of the European Association Working for Carers httpeurocarersorg
(httpeurocarersorgcarictindex2phptask=projectsamporder=nameampdir=ASCampd
b=2ampkeyword=independent+living )
The web and the blog spheres by searching for basic expressions related to the topic of
interest in traditional search engines (Google Bing etc) and investigating
targeted information gathering portals
Other sources of information related to the topics of analysis such as
KPMG Professional Network and the Centre of Excellence
Interaction with the Advisory Group
The Annual Growth Survey 2015 edited by the European Community
The Jointly Employment Report 2015 edited by the European Community
83
List of abbreviations and definitions
JRC Joint Research Centre
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
ICT Information and Communication Technology
PSSGI Personal Social Services of General Interest
SIP Social Investment Package
SI Social Innovation
DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
IESI ICT enabled Social Innovation in support to the Implementation of the
Social Investment Package
EU European Union
SPC Social Protection Commitee
SPPM Social Protection Performance Monitor
GDP Gross Domestic Product
COM
PSS Personal Social Services
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CVD Cardiovascular Disease
HF Heart Failure
BEPA
EPSA European Public Sector Award
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
84
List of tables
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems 17
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops 26
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation 32
Table 4 Selected Case Studies 33
Table 5 Social services addressed35
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration 52
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives 55
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment 57
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation 59
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing 60
85
List of figures
Figure 1 Research Design 9
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology 13
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework 13
Figure 4 Analytical framework 14
Figure 5 The integration continuum 22
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation 23
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments 27
Figure 8 Geographical distribution 34
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services 36
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map 36
86
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies
A BOOK FOR A
ROOF (ABFR)
ZAGREB CITY LIBRARIES
Country Croatia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 400
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production
Sustainedorganisational innovation
Open process of co-
creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is seen as a new threat in most Croatian cities as it was largely ignored by policy makers until the Social Welfare Act in 2012 Since then several stakeholders ndash public and local government authorities trade unions employers and civil society organizationsrsquo representatives ndash have been involved in the drafting of the Strategy for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion in Croatia (2014-2020) One of the objectives in this strategy was to elaborate guidance on the necessary actions to improve care services for homeless The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has carried out a new plan - Consolidated Plan for the Care of the Homeless Persons during Extreme Winter Weather Conditionsrsquo - to implement specific actions that will allow a better provision of social services for
homeless The plan was the result of a multi-governance
87
collaboration between the national level large towns
municipalities homes for the elderly and the infirm and homes for mentally ill adults Its aim was to secure better data from the local authorities in order to plan effectively the availability of an adequate number of temporary structures as well as other services to help homeless people during the coldest months of the year
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) a network of public libraries that serves Zagreb and Zagreb County works with homeless people to increase their employability and build their self-image and confidence13
Aim of the initiative The overall aim of A Book for A Roof was to help the network of ZCL to develop a set of activities that through the medium of ICTs could provide employability and build positive self-imagine and confidence into the homeless living in the city Supporting homeless people to become more engaged and
proactive in the labour market
Overcoming the prejudices and preconceptions about the homeless in libraries Improving the life chances of homeless individuals Building the self-image of one of the cityrsquos most complex socially excluded groups Aiding homeless individuals to secure a future throughout
investing on strong partnership
Financial Model After the initial first year grant in 2011 provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries the project survived thanks to the help of different partners such as other homeless shelters within the city the Voluntary Centers local authorities and stakeholders involved into the project after the positive achievements realized
during the first years of activity One of these stakeholders was the Zagreb City Council that in 2012 granted 10000 Kunas (euro1300) to help evolving and expanding the main goals of this
initiative
Results Creation of a new network of public private and non-profit actors which for the first time actively helped each other to produce
social inclusion for homeless bull Raised awareness on the homelessness issue through
conferences workshops and media coverage bull 22 homeless among the 63 who used ICT trainings during
20112012 found a job bull The library trained 17 volunteers to provide ICT and job-seeking
training to the homeless
Role of ICTs The A Book for a Roof initiative depends mainly on the use of ICT to accomplish its main goals The role of ICTs in promoting social innovation is based on the empowering effect that enabling technologies have for the homelessICT courses include using the Internet to seek for
employment applying for jobs online and enhance homeless
individuals likelihood to (re)-engage with the job market This is coupled with job application training motivation and counseling and takes place in the library where homeless citizens feel more comfortable and safe
Lessons learned bull The initiative can be deemed sustainable because of its limited
costs however as it relies on donations constant disseminationinformation activity is necessary to keep high social awareness around the issue of homelessness
bull The need for resources and financial contributions from other library networks or municipalities can be a barrier to scaling up
bull Other parts of Croatia have started offering similar services
Key Informants Sanja Bunic Project Manager Zagreb City Libraries
Danijel Vuga House of Hope Shelter
88
CROSSROAD
BANK FOR
SOCIAL
SECURITY
(CBSS)
Country Belgium
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group socially insured personscompanies
Target people reached 11000000
Main PSSGI Social care social assistance
Started in 2002
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential
Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background More than two decades ago the Belgian administration carried out an in depth analysis on the functioning of social security delivery processes showing that bull The organization of the business processes of the social security
institutions presented a lack of customer orientation and was not at all harmonized across the different social security institutions
bull There was a lack of standardization in the paper forms used by each institution for collecting information from the customers
bull There was no exchange of information across institutions with
the consequence of a duplication of information bull The socially insured persons and their employers had
themselves to look for their rights throughout the social security system and could not count on the automatic granting of all
89
rights on the basis of one declaration
To address the issues 13 years ago the Belgian social security institute started developing a coordinated information management program generating Crossroad Bank for Social Security This allowed the creation of a permanent and inter-operable social security network among all 3000 social security institutions in Belgium
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Electronic data exchange between citizens and social security institutions
Aim of the initiative The overall objective of Crossroad Bank for Social Security is to provide socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have a minimum level of administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
bull The key objective of the back office was to re-organize all
processes and relationships with each social security institutions and between all 3000 social security institutions
bull With regard to the front office it was re-organized in order to deliver integrated electronic services to the target groups (socially insured persons companies intermediaries etc) in a personalized way via an access method (eg application to
application file transfer portal) chosen by the user
Financial Model The annual cost of CBSS (its network and services as well as its 90 employees) equals to 17 million euro The cost is financed by a withholding on the social security contribution paid by the employers the employee and the self-employed before the
distribution of these contributions to the social security sectors There is no direct charge for the actors in the social security sector
Results bull Significant reduction of administrative burden for workers
thanks to CBSS only 2 (out of 120) declarations have to be
done directly by the individual
bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for CBSS in relation to total cost of delivery
bull Still more important than the efficiency gains are probably the gains in terms of service effectiveness
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the Social Protection system in terms of quality of services as well as the overall systems sustainability
Role of ICTs CBSS is conceived as a brand new ICT architecture with 5 main distinctive characteristics bull Information modelling bull Unique collection and re-use of information bull Management of information
bull Electronic exchange of information bull Protection of information
Lessons learned bull CBSS has already existed for already 25 years which is itself
evidence of sustainability bull CBSS fostered the development of a coherent legal framework bull CBSS has been asked to reuse the same model in the health
sector for pharmacies practitioners hospital care etc This same model was copied applied in other countries as well especially after receiving the many awards given to CBSS such as the UN award in 2006 For example Argentina copied the model
bull Key success factor is the sufficient financial support made
available for the implementation of CBSS
Key Informants Frank Robben General manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security National Office for Social Security Belgium
90
EESTIEE
ESTONIA STATE PORTAL
Country Estonia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General population
Target people reached 401316 users
Main PSSGI Civic engagement
Started in 2003
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 Estonia - one of the smallest nations in Europe - was left with
little public infrastructure and virtually no commercial activity It needed to build high-functioning government services for its
residents and the fledgling private sector To address this need Estoniarsquos government invested proactively in technology to bring government services and citizens online In 2003 the Estonian government launched the first version of its e-government portal (wwweestiee) which offered secure online access to a limited number of government services Since then the Estonian State Portal has developed and expanded significantly and today
Estoniarsquos 13 million residents can use electronic ID cards to log in to the eestiee portal to vote pay taxes claim unemployment benefits register properties and access more than 815 other public and private e-services The portal is a gateway to public information and services it is user-friendly and secure
91
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Agenda 2020 for EstoniaOnline centralized public service
information system to communicate with citizens
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the state portal is to provide entrepreneurs with entry-level information on their obligations to the state and how they must fulfill them as well as access to public services to the general public through a single window The platform also allows the use of various registry services (commercial register registry of economic activities traffic register etc) The portal is constantly updated and improved with the addition of
new sections or services Ongoing initiatives are related to several aspects of citizens and people lives such as bull the concept of e-residency (also for foreigners wishing to use
Estonian e-services) bull the possibility of establishing a company within an hour
bull making bank transfers within seconds bull participating actively in the management of a company
registered in Estonia bull submitting tax return requests
Financial Model EU structural funds
Results bull The number of users of the platform has grown in the last years bull Currently entrepreneurs and citizens of other 11 foreign
countries can also be authenticated and use Estonian e-services bull The platform contributes extensively to the usability and ease of
use of e-services and thereby it helps to bring the government closer to people Furthermore it helps create awareness of the
availability of e-services as visitors discover new options while browsing it
bull The initiative resulted in a more direct support of inclusive labour markets self-employment and job market
Intermediaries better targeting benefits and services and cost-effective social services meeting the needs of citizens
bull Estoniarsquos experience is also increasing transparency and addressing corruption mismanagement conflicts of interest or ethical issues thanks to the amount of information freely available
Role of ICTs The role of ICT is fundamental the system developed by the government in 2003 called X-Road has been designed to be able
to incorporate innovative applications which has made it possible to constantly update it and enrich it with new tools The system consists of a secure data-access platform connecting existing databases (both public and private) irrespective of their format all the data remain separate and a list of FAQ is in fact the only data X-Road itself maintains
Lessons learned bull The sustainability of the initiative is associated not only to the
will of policymakers but also connected to an increased user
satisfaction bull A number of national governmentsmdashincluding those of Belgium
Germany Italy and the Netherlands as well as a handful of Middle Eastern countriesmdashhave launched or are planning to
launch e-ID card programs
Key Informants Taimar Peterkop - General Director of the Estonian Informatics Centre
92
STRATEGY FOR
DIGITAL
WELFARE
(SDW)
Country Denmark
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group General population older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social care
Started in 2013
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Danish welfare system is based on a strong social citizenship and a guarantee for social rights in case citizens encounter social
problems such as unemployment or sickness As in other Scandinavian countries social innovation in Denmark
is more about supplementing (or improving) existing public sector-led initiatives rather than substituting them In this respect the public sector is pivotal to determine the success or failure of social innovation and for this reason since 2008 the Danish government recognized the use of ICTs as an opportunity to reform its welfare system thus giving more emphasis to the digital delivery of welfare services
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Solutions for health education and social services ensuring effective provision of public sector services
93
Aim of the initiative The aim of the strategy is to accelerate the use of ICT and welfare
technology in frontline public service delivery in order to achieve both a more cohesive welfare system and greater integration across public administrations It consists of a series of initiatives such as bull The dissemination of telemedicine throughout Denmark which
aims to provide citizens with high quality and coherent patient
care bull The welfare technology in nursing and care which aims to
embed digital technologies in the rehabilitation pathway bull The new digital paths in case processing whose aim is to
improve the use of the municipal electronic health records across various sectors of the health care system as well as
across municipal services areas bull The preconditions for digital welfare which aims at
guaranteeing better clarity and flexibility in the tendering process
Financial Model Central financial model for the core costs but not for the local implementation costs The granting of economic support was
conditional on providing a solid and thorough project assessment of the results and efficiency gains for the participating institutions Some funding has come from the Danish Public Welfare Technology Foundation
Results bull New possibilities for citizens to get more actively involved in the
welfare services provision bull Empowerment of many elderly people to live more
autonomously and with greater quality bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for the overall welfare
system in relation to total cost of delivery For instance approximately 59 million euro for the municipal home care service of 375 million euro over a 5 year period for digital
rehabilitation bull The use of a unique eID even when mobile devices are used
together with a digital data sharing system will help in reducing control time and its inaccuracyfallacies
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the health care system promoting an approach innovation-oriented
Role of ICTs Through the use of ICTs the Danish healthcare system aims at increasing home care and thus reducing hospital care Telemedicine is also expected to help prevent acute deterioration in the condition of patients and reduce the number of admissions ICTs solutions such as MedCom messages ensure effective and rapid coordination when sharing information such as discharge
letters prescriptions and referrals
Lessons learned bull A well-functioning broadband and an adequate access to it
should be considered as a precondition for deploying digital welfare solutions
bull Since SDW helps the welfare system with better budgeting administrative processes and reduction of financial costs it
ensures a greater sustainability of the system bull Out of the 25 initiatives 7 are planning to become developed at
a national level bull However SDW hasnrsquot had the spillover yet between the different
initiatives
Key Informants Susanne Duus ndash Team leader of the Agency for Digitalization of the Ministry of Finance
94
DIGITALIZATI
ON OF
SERVICES IN
INPS
Country Italy
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General populationolder people
Target people reached 16 Million
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy and one of the most important in Europe with a significant cash flow
(about 800 billionyear) and one of the largest portfolio of employment and welfare services delivery
Since 2012 an important integration process with respect to pension schemes and social security has been undertaken and its result is that all the major Italian social security institutions are currently merged into INPS following a ldquoclient pathwayrdquo approach Through the 752010 (Extension and expansion of telematics services offered by INPS to the citizens) and the 1692010 (Full
digitalisation of the submission process of benefits requests) internal notes INPS started a gradual and complex process of digitalization based on a multi-channel system for delivering services by using IT exclusively
95
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digitalization and automation of the relationship between the
Public Administration and citizens in reducing digital divide and improving the accessibility of services
Aim of the initiative Thus the expected results of the initiative Digitalization of services in INPS were bull Improved efficiency of the internal production processes through
the automation of some phases of the investigation leading to a great savings of resources
bull Improved quality of work of staff currently engaged in data-entry activities
bull Reduced time needed to submit applications with benefits for both citizens and the Institute
bull Increased service quality through the improvement of the data quality due to the digitalization of the information (thanks to quality and formal controls of the information directly when inserted)
bull Decreased costs of services arising from the potential savings on paper communication towards citizens
Financial Model Public service funding Government Regional Local Authorities non-profit public entities etc
Results The digitalisation and automation of the service delivery model
brought about a great innovation of the overall Italian social security systems and facilitated the access to INPS services for every citizen bull Modernisation of the Social protection system allowed not only
efficiency gains but also new and more effective monitoring processes
bull Massive increase in usage of the online services Increase in of
user awareness on the services offered and certainty of their expected benefits and acquired rights
bull More standardize service model with respect to quality level thus addressing regional (NorthSouth) inequality of service
Lessons learned bull The next 3 years will see the implementation of a
comprehensive framework of measures to upgrade the services offered by the Institute
bull The deployment of ICTs in the INPS reform has been considered by many stakeholders a great success and a best practice to be scaled up and replicated Indeed
bull INPS is the leader of an international consortium EU-China social protection reform project and will assist the Chinese
government in modernising its social security system
Role of ICTs Reengineering of the service delivery method possible by the use of ICTs which allowed access to servicesproducts without mediation by local offices ICTs played a crucial role for the success of the initiative since
multi-channel digitization dematerialization and offshoring were achievable only through ICT innovation Today all types of INPS services are available online and payable
through multi-channels
Key Informants Antonio De Luca Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Ettore Fusco Deputy Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Patrizia Maria Ester DAndrea and Francesca Arbitrio team leaders within the Planning and Control Central Directorate of INPS
96
EXPRESS TRAIN
TO EMPLOYMENT
(EXTE)
Welfare to Work
programme
Country Poland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Unemployed
Target people reached 1000
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Welfare to Work (W2W) programme was introduced in Poland as a follow-up to the recent Labour Act reform to deal with a
stagnating labour force participation and a fairly high government deficit (33 in 2014 up from the 28 target of 2015)
The Polish Government was under pressure to introduce innovative welfare provisions which could combine a social system approach traditionally more open to public-private partnership and an innovative use of information management for servicesrsquo organization which could maximize efficiency of the system The W2W programme together with innovative data modelling constitutes the bulk of the Express Train to
Employment (ExTE) pilot project which aimed to improve the engagement and activation of long-term unemployed people in the region of Malopolska Conditional to its success the initiative was then to be scaled up and extended to other regions first and the rest of the country later
97
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Labour Act Reform addressing the problem of long-term
unemployment in the Krakow Region
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the ExTE project was to enhance the mechanisms to help reducing the levels of unemployment rates Under this overarching goal the specific objectives were bull Achieving sustainable employment for at least 35 of the
participants bull Raising the employability of participants in the project bull Disseminating information about services offered to those
unemployed bull Establishing partnerships following the British model (W2W) in
order to identify and develop synergies and effective solutions that could then be scaled-up nationally
Results-based financing was one of the main mechanisms used to compensate operators and stakeholders involved in addition
ExTE saw the inclusion of non-public agents that could offer a variety of knowledge and additional resources
Financial Model The initiative driven by a public- private partnership is implemented with the support of the European Social Fund The service model that was used in this initiative is based on the exploitation of the ability of the private sector to find jobs for the
long-term unemployed
Results The pilot program in the region of Krakow reached significant results both in terms of securing employment for participants and uncovering jobs that had not been publicly advertised bull About 66 of registered users found a job within the first 6
month of participation compared to only 20 of individuals in the control group
bull More than half of the participants (52) had at least one job offer vs only 30 workers in the control group
bull The project was more successful in matching individualsrsquo skills
and competences with jobs bull Updated model of outsourcing employment services through
non-public providers bull A framework of legislative recommendations was produced as
results of the model proposed within the initiative with the aim to be included in the Labour Act
bull The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy introduced a series of amendments in the regulations of the labour market including a new system of profiling the unemployed
Role of ICTs ICTs supported and facilitated existing processes contributing to improve the organisational mechanisms of employment service provisions through bull The creation of a new data model to facilitate matching between
demand and supply of workforce
bull The creation of databases enabling a coordinated planning of activities
Lessons learned bull The government is planning to replicate the initiative in other
regions of the country bull The transferability of the model is demonstrated by the fact that
the W2W initiatives are already implemented in Britain Australia
and the Netherlands bull More needs to be done to ensure that participants stay in
employment for longer for instance by providing additional training and education
Key Informants AMartynuska Director Regional Labour Office in Krakow
98
LITTLE BIRD Country Germany
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public-private partnership
Type of initiative Service
Target group Children mothers families
Target people reached 5000 kindergartens
Main PSSGI Childcare
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Similarly to many EU countries Germany incremented its focus on family-friendly policies to promote gender equality and increase
female participation in the labour market by fostering family friendly policies such as extended maternity and paternity leave
Despite recent progress however Germany still lags behind countries such as France Denmark or Sweden which offer a vast range of childcare initiatives and spend a higher proportion of family benefits on services Indeed childcare provision in Germany is still hindered by three main issues gender inequality in the number of hours of care provided high cost of childcare services and shortage of qualified childcare staff
The Little Bird initiative commissioned by the government and implemented by private partners was born to address the management of available resources regarding childcare services It allows the effective and efficient administration of childcare places for parents providers and public administrations
99
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Child care service delivery- providing parents with support in the
kindergarten selection and location process
Aim of the initiative The main objective of Little Bird was to facilitate equal access to infant education to all children through an interactive process that maps out the entire range of administration functions for the allocation of childcare services Its aim was to provide a safe and convenient solution in the region in which it would operate across the boundaries of municipalities in the search allocation and administration of
childcare services In terms of social innovation Little Bird aims to meet the needs of families government public and private providers by monitoring and allocating in a transparent way the kindergarten places of children In terms of ICT innovation Little Bird is a sustained and organizational ICT- enabled social innovation which improves
organizational and administrative processes of the kindergartenrsquos place allocation Providers can plan and monitor their resources on demand families get an overview of all childcare services (privately and publicly owned) and the available vacancies for child care services
Financial Model Public-Private Partnership co-financed by the Investitionbank
Berlin as well as by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Results The platform provides comprehensive information about
institutions childcare facilities and vacancies and provides the necessary transparency to all parts involved It delivered benefits both for the parents and for the municipalities through bull Optimization of the internal administrative processes bull Highly customized childcare services meeting citizens
requirements
bull Reduced response time to the users between application and final outcome
bull Increased cost-effectiveness bull More productive administrative staff bull Better quality of childcare services provided
Role of ICTs Little Bird is Germanyrsquos first eGovernment solution with an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services Through the use of a web application Little Bird centralizes the challenging and tedious process of searching and applying for available local childcare and decentralizes the childcare allocation process throughout
bull ICTs help optimizing the search registration and allocation process while at the same time generating more transparency and better services
Lessons learned bull Little Bird is an innovative example of a public service opening
up to the private sector primarily through the use of a web application
bull Since the solution is only a software product its model can be easily replicated in other contexts All components in the installation are highly modular therefore highly customizable to any local requirement
bull As far as scalability is concerned Little Bird is currently implemented in 60 German municipalities and will be integrated
in other 25 administrations
Key Informants Bernd Klosterkemper Investment Director Ananda Ventures
100
PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE - PES
Country Netherlands
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed (mainly with disabilities)
Target people reached 285 million visitors in 2013
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Dutch Public Employment Service is part of the UWV
(Employee Insurance Agency) and has as a main objective helping
people to find jobs and re-integrate in society through matching supply of work and demand of labour The modernization of the Public Employment Service (PES) in the Netherlands involved the introduction and the optimization of an online environment
(Intranet) which can be used by all employees and managers of UWV WERKbedrijf without any password requirements This management tool is the ldquoMijn Informatie Portaalrsquo
PES recognizes the pivotal need to optimize performance in the area of employment reintegration temporary income and data management and participation of people in work and society
Policy program
supporting the
Employee Insurance Implementation Institution is the public
institution that implements unemployment insurance benefits sickness benefits employment services to the insured people
101
initiative
Aim of the initiative PESrsquo objectives are set in accordance with the government along
with annual agreements and in cooperation with labour market partners like municipalities employers and temporary employment agencies
The core aim is to facilitate the match between supply and demand in the labour market and to support as high a number of citizens as possible to find employment and reintegrate with society The new 2010 Dutch Government established that the new policy on public employment services was going to
bull Empower citizens and employers in the labour market
bull Reduce face to face interaction to 10 of the clients bull Reform the PES so that 90 of the services will be delivered
using digital means and interaction
Financial Model Publicly funded
Results Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online
interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is steadily increasing
The modernisation process has resulted in increased efficiency and accountability at all levels of the PES and in improved outcomes for jobseekers
bull PES exceeded the target for 2013 in terms of the percentage (90) of people claiming benefits through the online platform reaching 95 of the those who use wwwwerknl for unemployment benefits
bull One of the key points of the modernization brought by PES is the accelerated development of the online werknl service for
job seekers
Role of ICTs The initiative contributed significantly to increasing the efficiency
and reliability of data flows
Data are available on national regional sub-regional (lsquoofficersquo) and
individual employee level Every week new data are added Most data are cumulative The technique being used is lsquoOnline Analytical Processingrsquo (OLAP) This technique makes it possible to generate and construct user defined tables with a web-based tool
bull Thanks to the support of ITC tools and the electronic submission and centralization of data the PESrsquo initiative also played a key role in uncovering 65500 violations of the workforce obligations and upon 97400 cases
Lessons learned bull The automation of the process and the higher digitization of
services have made the delivery system financially and socially sustainable
bull Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is
steadily increasing bull Despite the rise of unemployment and the transition to online
services PES was able to stay within their own budget being their regular operating costs 85 lower than what was budgeted for 2013
Key Informants Ronald Van Bekkum UWV Dutch PES
102
POcircLE EMPLOI
100 WEB
Country France
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 63 million subscribers
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background According to the National Reform Program (2014) the national 2020 Target for the Reduction of Poverty and Social Exclusion is
to ldquoreduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 1900000 (baseline year 2007)rdquo
However the economic downturn has prevented the achievement of this target due to rising unemployment rates (up to 102 in 2016 well above its 2008 value of 74) The French Public Employment Service Pocircle Emploi launched a 100 Web initiative to provide free e-support services to jobseekers across France to boost employability and employment The initiative addresses policy goals in the fields of modernizing
social protection systems and implementing active inclusion strategies The 100 Web initiative is part of the ldquoguidedrdquo tutoring provided by Pocircle Emploi in order to better meet the needs of jobseekers personalized employment support services The
103
tutoring is based on the regular support in the job search by
physical telephone conversations or e-mail for those who need regular support The 100 Web services was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Pocircle emploi Strategic Plan 2020 ldquoEnsemble Innovons pour lrsquoEmploirdquo
Aim of the initiative In 2013 Pocircle emploi launched a targeted 100 Web initiative to provide free e-services for jobseekers considered to be quite close to the labour market but in need of support in France 100 Web is embedded in a long-term public strategy of Pocircle Emploi revolving around four areas bull Reinforcing counseling services in order to improve access to job
vacancies
bull Engaging with employers through advisors who inform them
about the services provided by the public sector and external private providers
bull Improving the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers by enhancing physical facilities transparency in processes digital access and access in rural areas
bull Making Pocircle Emploi closer to local needs and realities working
with the State regions and social sector partners
Financial Model The initiative 100 Web is funded by internal resources of Pocircle emploi Pocircle Emploirsquos annual budget funding for interventions and operation and investments were provided by a government contribution of UNEDIC where appropriate grants from local
authorities public bodies and any other income were authorized by regulations
Results bull The service has improved beneficiariesrsquo digital skills and
increased employment opportunities helping to fight digital exclusion reducing social isolation and supporting social
interaction
bull Positive effect on youth inclusion and in the inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations (in particular those living in rural remote or isolated areas) where the initiative aims at improving the access and the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers
Role of ICTs bull Pocircle Emplois web solution is a disruptive transformative
innovation using ICT in the form of an integrated web-based to deliver education training job searching networking and support services for jobseekers and employers in France
bull The ICTs tools contribute to an open process of co-creation of employment and employability e-services based on the interaction between jobseekers and counselors thus enabling
the effective collaboration with the potential employees employers businesses in order to jointly develop implement and adopt employment and employability e-services
Lessons learned bull The 100 Web service was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions
before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015 The future goal is to develop the initiative in a
more comprehensive trying to broaden the audience to which it is addressed
bull The transferability of the initiative is guaranteed by the fact that the digitization strategy of the measures proposed is not associated to French specificities
Key Informants Anne-Leone Campanella and Jean-Philippe Spector Pocircle emploi
104
BADALONA
SERVEIS
ASSISTENCIALS
ndash BSA
Country Spain
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people people with disabilities
Target people reached 2015000 people
Main PSSGI Integrated health- and social care
Started in 2000
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The ageing population and the sustainability of the Catalonian National Public Health System linked to the Social Service System
are some of the factors that motivated the BSA initiative In 2000 the local government of Badalona in Catalonia decided to
merge health and social care provisions into a single organization to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision This at the time unprecedented endeavour of fully integrating under a single governance structure and into a single organization the provision of health and social care ndash from administrative service delivery and clinical perspective ndash faced very serious challenges but gradually the Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)
accomplished that Today it is operational on the full scale and funded entirely by public money it has about 1200 employees who provide integrated health and social care and manages home care for the inhabitants of the City of Badalona roughly 215 thousand people
105
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Integration of social and healthcare policy
Aim of the initiative The main aim of the initiative was to improving efficiency and quality of care provision while at the same time better addressing unmet needs and overall ensuring continuity of care by eliminating overlapping and duplication in services The integration of health and social care would also bull Be organised around the person and provided by a team of
multi-disciplinary professionals
bull Generate a better coordinated more efficient and simplified governance at the City council
Financial Model BSA is an integrated private care organisation entirely funded by public capital Public Insurance pays for health services while the municipality budget covers social care
Results The initiative contributed to the following improvements
bull better coordination between the different levels of care bull better communication and information flows among BSA
providers and other third parties providers in and around Badalona
bull improvements in the organisational and decision making
processes bull a portfolio of innovative services including telemonitoring and
telecare services bull a higher level of quality of care with greater control and better
results for the population bull more efficient care delivery and the modernisation and
improvement of services bull early discharge from hospitals reduced workload for the staff
reduced care costs for the city council
Role of ICTs Operationally the ICT-solutions made it possible to bull merge the organisations
bull harmonise processes needs assessment protocols and care
provision bull interlink the databases and bull plan track and evaluate the operations of the new entity
providing integrated care bull Nevertheless planning creating launching and operating the
harmonised approach were a gradual process
Lessons learned bull The sustainability and scalability of the initiative can be better
ensured by the structured involvement of third sector providers such as volunteer organisations NGOs patient associations etc Such stakeholders can help in filling the gap arising from the lack of public investments and play a crucial role in providing the right cultural environment
bull The initiative is likely to be scalable and transferable since it has been designed taking this dimension into consideration from the very beginning However they may be funding issues In
addition there are some legacy systems that are unique there but overall others can learn from their experiences
bull In order to pursue feasible and reliable innovation patters it is crucial to identify appropriate partners to cooperate with For
instance European funded projects are a great environment to meet relevant and committed partners
Key Informants Jordi Piera - CIO and RampDampI Officer at BSA
106
ACTION
(ASSISTING
CARERS USING
TELEMATICS
INTERVENTIONS TO
MEET OLDER
PEOPLErsquoS NEEDS)
Country Sweden
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public Private
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 1997
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Swedish welfare for older people involves three levels of government
bull National level policy priorities and directives are discussed and passed
bull Regional level county councils are responsible for providing healthcare
bull Local level municipalities are responsible for providing the bulk of social services and housing needs for older people
Care for the elderly is characterized by the key role played by local authorities which decide on how best to organize the provision Private care services accounted for 24 of all elderly
people getting home help in 2013 however privatization of the health care services in Swedish municipalities has steadily increased In Sweden community care policy is based on the principle of ldquoageing in placerdquo which assumes that the majority of older people
107
would prefer to remain in their own homes ICT services can help
to improve the flexibility of caregiver support as well as the quality of life of older family carers by easing their burden helping them to stay healthier and improving the quality of the care they provide
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
ACTION is a knowledge based initiative supporting elderly people and carers and social Inclusion
Aim of the initiative ACTION was an EU-funded research and development technology project that aimed to help informal carers to meet older peoplersquos needs by using Telematics (ACTION) (1997ndash2000) The overall objective of ACTION is to act as a support system It has four main integrated components bull Multi-media educational programmes based on the needs of
carers and older people
bull ACTION station A personal computer with Internet connection
used to make oral and visual contact with the families of other participants and care practitioners
bull ACTION call centre It is used to maintain regular contact with families to ensure that care for the older person is satisfactorily managed
bull Education and supervision Families take part in an initial
education programme which teaches them how to use the ICT-based service The call centre staff runs small group education sessions which enable participants to get acquainted with each other and subsequently initiate videophone contact
Financial Model This service was initially funded through the Fourth Framework
Programme (1997-2000) and was coordinated by the University of Borarings Since 2000 research development and evaluation have been funded by different grants and the municipalities finance the service by buying it from ACTION
Results The benefits of the initiative have been demonstrated by a
number of studies
bull Both the older people and their family carers said their everyday quality of life was enhanced They became less isolated and more socially included
bull Informal carers were also more independent in their tasks and responsibility they felt more competent and they reported better health and lower stress levels
bull The service had the effect of decreasing healthcare costs while
maintaining a high standard of service and boosting the sustainability of the health and social care systems Cost savings estimated at euro23256 per family
Role of ICTs bull ACTIONrsquos capacity of effectively using ICT-enabled social
innovation has produced significant changes in the carersrsquo lives
by helping to reduce their work-load and their responsibilities for the older person
bull It has increased the monitoring and counselling provided to the
family carers by professional carers bull It has also increased self-management and empowered the
users through specifically designed online courses and by sharing information on caring best practices in real time These
services are readily accessible by family carers from home
Lessons learned bull In 2004 ACTION became a mainstream service in the Borarings
municipality in 2012 25 other municipalities tested the system but did not implement it because they lacked resources
bull The ACTION project has a high level of standardization and can
be easily implemented by other Member States
Key Informants Lennart Magnusson - Director of Swedish family care center
108
SOUTH KARELIA
DISTRICT OF
SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES
(EKSOTE)
Country Finland
Strength of Evidence Weak
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Older people (aged 75+) carers
Target people reached 31000
Main PSSGI Integrated Health and Social Care
Started in 2010
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Before the EKSOTE programme started operating in 1996 hospitals in the region were significantly overloaded This had a
negative impact on the quality of the service provided particularly for disabled and elderly people whose access to follow-up care
was badly managed The previous governance system of social care provision was plagued with recurrent delays and coordination issues The Finnish health care system is structured around municipality-based units which have assumed responsibility for primary care and region-based units which absolve other functions related to health care organization and coordination with the national level
In 1997 the AQP (AssessQualify-Place ) operations units centralized patient follow-up care in order to speed up the process of allocating this type of care to patients who had been discharged from the central hospital In 2010 EKSOTE started to manage all the social and health care services in nine municipalities With the
109
implementation of EKSOTE the traditional division between
primary and secondary care structures disappeared (at least in the EKSOTE municipalities) As compared to traditional ways of delivering social security services EKSOTE places a higher priority on assessing service needs and providing advisory and instructional services in alternative forms For example it has put in place a mobile and
internet health service network (an ICT-enabled social innovation)
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Finnish country wide ICT policy also related to the European Digital Agenda
Aim of the initiative The objective of EKSOTE was to improve the coordination among social service providers and improve the quality of service It also aimed to provide equal access to social and health care
services to all citizens in the region it operates in across the
boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care process
Financial Model Public funding By spending on rehabilitation and preventive action South Karelia has been able to achieve better cost effectiveness
Results The improved integration and coordination of social services provision has brought the following benefits bull improvement of access and take-up bull simplification of administration bull better targeted and personalised services
bull cost-effectiveness of social services which meet the needs of citizens
Role of ICTs EKSOTE implemented a process of digitalization in the South Karelia Region starting from 2010 bull Thanks to its innovative use of a centralized placement service
(AssessQualify-Place or AQP) it has contributed to better
targeted more appropriate and personalized quality service bull In addition to AQP another fundamental feature of EKSOTE is
the creation of the Business Intelligence Model (BIM)Data for BIM are collected from several sources and can be used to predict demand service planning user analysis and the calculation of indicators
bull The EKSOTE BIM plays an important role for the management
system in social and health care system as it allows the common and regional indicators to combine the user groups and measure the usage of services and especially to report and analyse the data classified in a new way
Lessons learned bull The initiative has been considered a best practice and the
government the piloting system takes advantage of components that are already in use in most social and healthcare sector organizations and does not require major hardware or software investments or any changes to the overall
system architecture bull EKSOTE has been promoted by the Finnish government which is
trying to scale out the initiative to a nationwide level In this
respect many municipalities are visiting EKSOTE office so as to study the initiative and replicate it within their territories
bull The methodology underpinning the initiative shows a high degree of transferability of the experience to other European contexts
Key Informants Merja Tepponen - Chief Development Officer of Health and Social care Department
110
PATHWAY
ACCOMMODATION
AND SUPPORT
SYSTEM (PASS)
Country Ireland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Homeless
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social housing
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is a complex social problem and there is no simple solution The primary need of homeless people is appropriate long‐term housing In conjunction with this need for housing
many homeless people also have physical health mental health
addiction andor other support needs that must be addressed in order for them to be able to stop being homeless In Ireland the health services and local authorities share responsibility for the provision of shelter support and housing for homeless people The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 addresses the needs of homeless citizens in Ireland and outlines a statutory
obligation for local authorities to have an action plan and to set up a Homelessness Consultative Forum and a Statutory Management Group The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has overall responsibility for the planning development and coordination of
111
homeless and related housing and support services in the Dublin
region and is responsible for the statutory funding across the spectrum of services that comprise the Pathway to Home model of service
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
National Homeless Strategy The Way Home
Aim of the initiative PASS is a client management system for homeless service users
that also aims to provide to the public authorities and other stakeholders involved statistical information on homelessness and use of related services in order to bull monitor the effectiveness of the strategy bull identify emerging trends related to homelessness bull monitor and improve service delivery helping the agencies to
work together to provide a continuum of care and integrate
service delivery
bull plan the development of future services
Financial Model The PASS System is financed by DRHE resources from two main sources i) Section 10 funding from Central Government (DECLG) to local authorities under the 1998 Housing Act combined with a
contribution (at 10) of funding directly from each local authorityrsquos revenue streams and ii) the Health Service Executive - a central funder of homeless services in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programmes
Results bull PASS has allowed DRHE to increase efficiency of bed occupancy
to a rate of 99 of capacity by sharing information between all the agencies that support homeless people
bull DRHErsquos initial target to create 700 tenancies in 2014 was exceeded and 792 tenancies were created
bull According to the Homeless Authority of Dublin the PASS
platform can effectively support the decision-making process on
capital investment in housing provision bull Access to real-time data has allowed authorities and other
stakeholders providing services to the homeless to deliver higher quality services to respond effectively to the target usersrsquo needs and to optimize financial and human resources
Role of ICTs ICT-enabled social innovation has produced substantial
improvements in the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the social service delivery models It has played a dual role bull As an enabling factor as it facilitates a better cost-effective
partnership between all public and private stakeholders involved in the process of delivering social housing services
bull As a ldquogame-changer access to real-time data helps all actors
involved (public and private) to understand analyse and respond in a qualitatively better and more cost-efficient way
Lessons learned bull In terms of scalability PASS will be developed to become a new
lsquocloudrsquo technological computing system bull Further development of a specific data strategy is needed in
order to ensure the success of this initiative at national level
Key Informants Daacuteithiacute Downey Deputy Director Head of Policy and Service Delivery Dublin Region Homeless Executive Ireland
112
TELECARE
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME IN
SCOTLAND (TDP)
Country United Kingdom (Scotland)
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Regional (National)
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group Older people
Target people reached 45000
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 2006 (ended in 2011)
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background In Scotland a growing incidence of disability and long-term illness brought about the requirement for health and care service
support Between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 the Scottish Governmentrsquos expenditure on the people aged 60 and over
increased by 5 per annum in real terms to pound51 billion a year The Scottish government established that care of frailer older people with continuing health problems should focus on better support for them at home To this end it focused strongly on the development of telecare and telehealth The Scottish Telecare Development Programme (TDP) was a funding initiative run by Scottish Government between 2006 and
2011 to drive the adoption of telecare by local health and social care services The strategy was to stimulate Scottish local partnerships to redesign existing home care services with a two-step funding programme The main actors comprised the housing and social care departments of the Local Authorities and the local
113
NHS Boards that represent the health care professionals in charge
of community-based health service provisioning Together they promoted and designed the telecare initiative to be funded by the National Government and helped drive its implementation in the local contexts The Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT) was established to support and guide the development of telehealth and telecare throughout Scotland
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) for Scotland was launched in August 2006 as a policy initiative
Aim of the initiative The objective of the TDP funding initiative was to stimulate the 32 Scottish local health and care partnerships (made up of local Health Boards and Local Authorities) to develop and mainstream telecare services Its main objectives could be summarized as follows
bull Increase the productivity of social protection systems and of
healthcare delivery including formal and informal care bull Increase the sustainability of the social protection system
particularly by reducing the number of avoidable admissions to care homes
bull Increase the quality of services for both carers and users bull Support system integration
bull Reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty and disability among older people through disease prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
bull Facilitate hospital discharge bull Increase self-care and independent living at home
Financial Model Two-step funding programme in 2006-2008 awarded to the initiatives that addressed the specification of the bid in 2008-2011 to the initiatives which were satisfactorily developed Development support was also offered through the Scottish Governmentrsquos Joint Improvement Team (JIT) to those
partnerships that were not progressing as planned
Results The TDPrsquos effects were comprehensively assessed throughout the programme bull Informal carers felt that telecare had reduced pressurestress
and facilitated greater independence for users bull 60 of users reported improvements to their quality of life bull Patients were discharged faster from hospital while the number
of emergency admissions was reduced
bull The single biggest saving was coming from the avoided care home admissions estimated cost savings for the sector of approximately euro 954 million at 2011 prices
bull Telecare could efficiently address the special caring needs of people living with dementia
Role of ICTs bull ICTs played an important role in the deployment and
mainstreaming of the services across Scottish territory interoperability problems constituted important barriers to the
development and sustainability of the services
Lessons learned bull In the more successful TDP initiatives now mainstreamed in
their local communities Community Health Partnerships played
a fundamental role in ensuring cooperation bull Considering the high initial investment costs the replication and
expansion of the initiative to similar contexts is regarded as a key factor for its sustainability
Key Informants Donna Henderson European Engagement Manager Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and Telecare NHS 24 Doreen Watson Telecare Consultant Joint Improvement Team Scottish Government
114
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More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
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by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) () () The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
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KJ-N
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doi102760256658
ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8
1
Acknowledgments
This report has been elaborated by the IESI Team of the Human Capital and Employment
Unit of the European Commissions Joint Research Centre Directorate B - Growth and
Innovation It is part of the research on ICT-Enabled Social Innovation to support the
implementation of the Social Investment Package conducted with DG Employment Social
Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) It also integrates the findings of the Study on the role of
ICT-enabled Social Innovation promoting social investment in support to the
modernisation of Social Protection Systems in the EU conducted by KPMG Advisory Spa
under the supervision of Pier Luigi Verbo and Marco Virginillo
We would like to thank all the experts and representatives of stakeholders who provided
crucial inputs at all stages of the research especially as regards identifying the most
promising cases and review of the preliminary results of the analysis In this regard a
special thank you goes to Alexander Heichlinger Expert at the European Institute of Public
Administration (EIPA) and Alfonso Lara Montero Policy Director of the European Social
Network (ESN) who reviewed intermediate pieces of the research and provided valuable
comments and suggestions for improvement
Finally we are particularly grateful to colleagues from DG EMPL who encouraged us to
investigate this area of research and provided support and guidance
Note
This report is based on the results of the IESI Project conducted under the
Administrative arrangement between JRC and DG EMPL ( 33268-2014-01) for a
multi-year research on ICT enabled Social Innovation to support the Implementation of
the Social Investment Package For more information httpseceuropaeujrceniesi
Disclaimer The information and views set out in this publication are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission The Commission does
not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study Neither the Commission nor
any person acting on the Commissionrsquos behalf may be held responsible for the use which
may be made of the information contained therein
copy European Union JRC 2017
2
Table of contents
Executive summary 3
1 Introduction 8
11 Policy background 8
12 The IESI Research 8
13 This report 10
2 Methodology 11
21 Research design 11
22 Literature review 12
23 Case studies 12
3 Review of the state of the art 15
31 Social protection systems in Europe 15
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services 19
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision 27
4 Cases overview 33
41 Main characteristics 33
42 Areas of focus across the case studies 37
5 Results from cross-case analysis 40
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems 40
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success 47
53 Evidence of impact on service integration 50
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives 54
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed 61
6 Conclusions 64
61 Key results 64
62 Policy implications 66
63 Future research 68
References 70
List of abbreviations and definitions 83
List of tables 84
List of figures 85
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies 86
3
Executive summary
This report provides an overview of the results of the analysis of selected case studies on
how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting social investment can contribute to the
modernisation of social protection systems in the European Union The case studies have
been identified and analysed as part of the research project entitled ldquoICT-Enabled Social
Innovation to support the implementation of the Social Investment Packagerdquo (IESI)
conducted by the European Commissionacutes Joint Research Centre in collaboration with the
Directorate General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
Objectives
This report aims to explore (i) the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled
social innovations that have been implemented and the broader social protection system in
which they are embedded in and (ii) the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives which promote social investment to support the modernisation of social
protection systems in EU Member States
Building on the results of three rounds of systematic literature reviews made by Misuraca
et al 2017 the main contribution of this explorative attempt is to provide qualitative
evidence that goes beyond the already well-studied relationship between ICTs and generic
public service modernisation reforms as it specifically investigate and shed lights on social
protection systems which are under researched when it comes to the contribution made by
ICT-enabled social innovation Therefore the aim of the report is to provide empirical
support to help member States in their reform endeavours
Through the cross analysis of fourteen in-depth case studies drawn from different Member
States and which represents different welfare models the report identifies the potential
implications for policies at local national and EU level Together the case studies cover all
the various Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) although most of the
initiatives analysed involved more than one social service according to the peculiarities of
the services offered and their levels of integration The table below presents the list of the
selected case studies and related area of service provided
Initiative Country Social services addressed
A Book for a Roof Croatia Education and training - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Badalona Assistance Services Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Crossroads Bank for Social Security Belgium Social care - Social assistance ndash Employment - Civic engagement
Digitalisation of social security services
Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
Poland Employment - Employability
Little bird Germany Childcare
National Telecare Development Programme
Scotland UK Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Online Point of Single Contact Estonia
Civic engagement Social care Social assistance ndash Childcare - Education and training - Social housing ndash Employment - Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web France Employment - Employability
Reform of employee insurance implementation institution
Netherlands Employment ndash Employability - Social assistance
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Strategy for Digital Welfare Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
4
Methodology
Once completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds 50 promising cases out of the 300 initiatives identified by the IESI
mapping exercise have been selected The criteria used for the selection included
geographical coverage representativeness of the different welfare systems coverage of all
the relevant thematic areas (derived from a revisited typology of PSSGI)
representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders (public private and third
sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis Through the first step each initiative was analysed
according to two criteria (relevance and complexity) in order to capture its potential
systemic impact This allowed giving a numerical score to different sub-parameters for
each of the 50 initiatives Through the second step of the selection process the IESI
analytical framework has been applied While the ICT-enabled innovation potential was
used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo
cluster (incremental and sustained innovation) and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster
(disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of governance of service integration was
used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with the highest level of governance)
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis The figure below
shows the geographic coverage of the analysed case studies
In each case we analysed the main social innovation elements the potential for ICT-
enabled innovation the levels of governance and type of service integration the impact
evaluation carried out and the degree of sustainability and possible transferability
5
Results
The case studies provide useful insights into the factors that have been critical to an
initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social innovation They also show how
these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of the Social Investment
Package
With regard to the first SIPs objective ie modernizing social protection systems
spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable protection
many initiatives by building a collaborative innovation network between public agencies or
departments reshaped the governance model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach In particular the exploitation of ICTs generated new
public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the
traceability of information flows and the fight against fraud The contribution ICTs make to
the modernization of social protection system lies mainly in their ability to minimize the
administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
With regard to the second SIPs objective ie implementing active inclusion strategies
investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve their integration into society and the
labour market the combination of employment information management and ICT training
allows the production process of services to be redesigned This can improve integration
opportunities within society and also help to include disadvantaged people into the labour
market The integration of services enabled by the use of ICTs empowers people
especially the homeless older people and the more fragile by improving their skills and
ability to live independently at home or to find jobs It also helps to improve the quality of
life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their caregivers Moreover equal access to
social and health care services for all citizens across the boundaries of municipalities
directly increases the inclusiveness of social protection systems
With regard to the third SIPs objective ie investing in individuals throughout their lives
ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments
during their lives it has been recognised that skills and active inclusion strategies offering
psycho-social support can boost beneficiariesrsquo motivation and respond to their needs at
critical moments in their lives Moreover ICTs can often contribute to changing service
delivery models making them more beneficiary-centric They can also reduce the risk of
unsuitable or undue benefits by formulating innovative responses to peoples changing
needs They can also personalize services which is especially important in the field of
employment support services Here they can improve the match between job demand and
offer and also aggregate job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations
The case study analysis allowed us to spot some major social issues in which ICTs can
offer ndash and indeed are already offering ndashimportant support without structural or wider
reforms The analysis showed that ICTs can help to modernise social protection systems
mainly by contributing to the sustainability of welfare systems
Some of the cases analysed demonstrate that ICTs contribute to solving the structural
imbalance between emerging and growing social needs and the decreasing or limited
financial resources available In particular the use of ICTs can help social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected by
different health and social conditions and require multiple services technological
advances have made it possible to link information across programme areas and to
identify individuals with complex needs and hence target them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used to
having access to information and services through web and mobile devices new
digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with service
providers across a range of industries including the social services and more generally
the welfare area
6
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour market
participation of all members of the working-age population a new wave of welfare-to-
work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments trying to reduce
demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from finding sustained
employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and demand
Handle budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to widespread public
sector austerity measures in many developed economies these pressures mean that
service integration and optimisation are becoming increasingly attractive options for
governments looking for higher cost effectiveness in service delivery allocating higher
percentages of resources and incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated to
the most effective and efficient initiatives they must be scaled up or transferred to
other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics functionalities allow to
leverage the evidence collected and better allocate resources on the basis of the
specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information regarding the
policy interventions undertaken and its results this data can then be shared in order
to inform policy makers and support the decision making process to develop or adapt
future policies
Policy and research implications
The results of the cross-analysis of case studies allowed us to define a set of policy
implications that can help policy makers to drive social change
In order to reap all the benefits of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives some
contextual and complementary policy initiatives are needed This mainly points to the need
of addressing required administrative changes and financial support initiatives especially
in the perspective of a more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social
innovation
Most of the case studies confirmed that ICTs are a crucial but not sufficient condition for
ICT-enabled social innovation to fully realise its potential Other enabling factors must
come into play for instance
Workforce development the empowerment of workers and job seekers requires
investment in their skills and competences They must also be given new and flexible
ways of participating in the labour market Employers and public institutions must
invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation working groups They must also
envisage joint training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and
fill any skills gaps that may arise This requires the creation of new roles and a review
of existing jobs to adapt them to the changing environment and the evolving needs of
the workforce
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third sector
providers should be promoted and the development of innovative initiatives
facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for the integration and
scaling up of these practices into actual processes
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms seem to be efficient in
promoting coordinated interventions to address common and shared social problems
in an outcome-oriented approach Other financial schemes such as acutepersonal
budgetsacute produce effective incentives because they enable users and case managers
to freely purchase the desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they
foster the creation of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are
closer to the needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms could encourage
integration and collaboration among different service providers
7
Finally the introduction of ICTs should be combined with the re-engineering of
organizational structures and a cultural shift towards embracing social innovation In
particular these two further directions are related to the simplification of services
procedures through an open-government approach and the use of the European Structural
and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
With regard to the simplification of procedures the increase in information and knowledge
exchange and in openness and transparency provide new opportunities for public
administrations to offer user-friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs
and the administrative burden An open government approach can encourage this
transformation by opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration in the
design production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and decisions
enhance transparency accountability and trust in government
With respect to the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to further
finance ICT-based developments in the social sector it should be considered that National
and regional authorities are in charge of defining their strategies and operational
programmes for enhancing territorial development and social cohesion which form the
basis for delivering EU structural funds Local institutions can play a proactive role in both
the allocation of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-
financing requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another strengthening knowledge
exchange across the EU
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect future research directions
Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes has also
been recognised as a strategy in support of social policy innovation initiatives and it could
be interesting to explore this further since it could offer the policy maker new
organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business models effectively
contribute to social change
Therefore it is important to answer the question whether social policy innovation
strategies especially ICT-enabled ones can be embedded in policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other terms it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular can be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox At the same
time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies will not be the
panacea for all welfare state challenges rather one of the social protection layers of future
welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the modernisation of welfare
systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as supplementary
minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits schemes
Nevertheless and according to the results of this research social policy innovation
initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an important role represent an important
means of modernising social protection systems ICTs need to be used as part of a broader
strategy designed and led by the public sector which becomes an even more important
actor and will also take on the task of coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
8
1 Introduction
11 Policy background
The 2008 crisis and the growing inequalities which followed have highlighted the
limitations of the current European social and welfare model Policymakers have tackled
the economic and societal challenges by redistributing resources through the taxation
system and granting special benefits to those in need however at the same time they
acknowledge that the European Social Model needs to be modernised
Many experts have proposed new ideas and new solutions for the challenges faced by
European welfare systems This general rethinking of prevailing socio-economic views and
perspectives has led to the emergence of two interrelated quasi-concepts social
investment and social innovation In spite of their theoretical and conceptual limitations
these terms have proven to be powerful tools for shaping policy outcomes
This trend was enhanced at EU level by the adoption of the Social Investment Package
(SIP)1 in 2013 The EC Communication Towards Social Investment for Growth and
Cohesion2 calls for social services to be designed fairly in a thoughtful and personalized
manner so as to provide equal access to those entitled In addition the SIP
Communication urges EU Member States to prioritise social investment and the
modernisation of their welfare systems in order to address unemployment poverty and
social exclusion brought about by the economic crisis and also the challenges to the
sustainability of social welfare systems posed by an ageing population
The SIP focuses on social innovation (Jenson 2015) as a means of providing ways of
improving the efficiency and adequacy of social policies and their effectiveness in
addressing societal challenges It also facilitates life-long investment in human capital The
European Commission has already emphasized the importance of embedding social
innovation in policy-making processes and connecting innovation policy to priorities It has
paid particular attention to the appropriate use of EU funds to support the implementation
of successful policy innovation (EU 2013 Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) It is
recognised that the potential of social innovation is further increased by the growing range
of available innovative solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) However it seems that ICT-based solutions only materialize rapidly on the ground
when specific efforts are made to encourage their use in social innovation
12 The IESI Research
In this context the European Commissions DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
(DG EMPL) and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre joined forces to conduct
a research project entitled ICT-enabled Social Innovation in support to the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
The key goal of IESI is to support the implementation of the EU Social Investment Package
(SIP) by investigating how ICT-enabled Social Innovation can support social investment
policies3
1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council the European and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion See httpeceuropaeusocialmainjspcatId=1044
2 EC COM (2013) 83 httpeur-lexeuropaeulegal-contentENTXTuri=CELEX52013DC0083 3 For a more detailed presentation of the IESI conceptual and analytical framework including the definition of
ICT-enabled social innovation developed as part of this research and the concept of Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) see the previous Deliverables available of the IESI Projects website httpseceuropaeujrceniesi and the JRC Science and Policy Report (Misuraca et al 2015)
9
More specifically the IESI research project aims to
i provide a better understanding of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled
social innovation to implement the actions suggested in the SIP
ii contribute to building the evidence base needed for social policy innovation by
gathering knowledge analysing initiatives and raising awareness about successful
experiences implemented in EU Member States
iii develop a methodological framework of analysis of the impacts - from micro to
macro level - generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which promote
social investment
The research results are expected to enhance the understanding of how ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives contribute to better targeting benefits and services improving the
management provision and coordination of services designing high-quality and cost-
effective services which meet the needs of citizens and supporting access to and take-up
of social services for instance by enabling simpler procedures providing better and more
targeted information or allowing the development of one-stop-shops
With regard to the scope of the research the starting point of the analysis is to identify
the Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) ie the services that respond to
vital human needs fight discrimination and create equal opportunities4 More specifically
the focus of the research is the analysis of policy-relevant initiatives related to integrated
approaches to social services provision and hence the study of how they contribute to
achieving some of the priorities defined in the SIP objectives
The IESI three-year research project was designed according to three interrelated Work
Packages namely Systematic mapping (WP1) Methodological framework of analysis of
impacts (WP2) and Thematic analysiscase studies (WP3) as illustrated in Figure 1 below
Figure 1 Research Design
Source own elaboration
4 According to Misuraca et al 2015 PSSGI have been classified through the following typologies (1)
Childcare (2) Education and training (3) Social assistance (4) Social care (5) Social housing (6) Employability (7) Employment (8) Social inclusionparticipation (9) Civic engagement (10) Active and healthy ageing and long-term care
10
Considerable effort was dedicated during the research especially in the IESI Thematic
analysiscase studiesrdquo Work Package (WP3) to studying the role and impact that ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social investment may have on the
modernisation of the following aspects of the Member Statesrsquo social protection systems
(1) Social SecurityEmployment (2) Social Inclusion and Participation (3) Active and
Healthy Ageing
Data were collected on a number of relevant examples of initiatives (cases) across the EU
The aim was to analyse the services provided in each case by various stakeholders and
intermediaries from the public private and third sectors with a specific focus on their role
and relationships At the same time the research aimed to better understand the nature
and impact of ICT-enabled social innovation in support of social investment its drivers
barriers and determinants and the various diffusion paths that characterise each of the
above mentioned thematic areas The case study approach allowed us to gather important
insights from both the cross-case analysis and the thematic analysis
13 This report
This report presents the results of the analysis of relevant ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives identified across the EU It explores the relationships between different
typologies of implemented ICT-enabled social innovation and the social protection system
in which they are embedded It also assesses the potential impact of ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives promoting social investment on the modernisation of social protection
systems in EU Member States More precisely the analysis seeks to determine what the
main drivers and barriers for the modernisation of social protection systems are and what
specific impacts are generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social
investment
Thus the main research questions addressed by the case studies are
What role do ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives play in supporting social
investment policies in modernising social services
What enabling factors in social investments and social innovations contribute to
enhancing social protection policies especially in times of crisis And what are the
barriers
The analyses presented in this report support the evidence on the contribution of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives which promote social investment for the modernisation
of social protection systems to the implementation of the EU SIP Therefore the cases
studied here also provide a snapshot of the state of deployment of social investment
policies which aim to facilitate the implementation of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives to encourage the modernisation of social services and welfare system in Europe
This report is structured as follows
Chapter 1 introduces the background and rationale of the project the overall
objectives and outlines the structure of this report
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the general methodology followed for the
literature review selection of the case studies and cross-case analysis
Chapter 3 presents key findings from the review of the state of the art which
focuses on ICT-enabled social innovation in EU social protection systems and social
services delivery models
Chapter 4 presents an overview of the case studies structured along the main
relevant dimensions of the research
Chapter 5 presents the cross-cases analysis illustrated with examples from the
activities key results and challenges of the initiatives
Chapter 6 presents the key findings the conclusions of the study future research
challenges and policy implications
11
2 Methodology
21 Research design
The key goal of the analysis of case studies which formed part of the IESI research design
was to provide evidence of successful andor promising ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives implemented around Europe to support the modernisation of social protection
systems This enabled us to assess the extent of the contribution of ICT-enabled social
innovation to the implementation of the SIP
More specifically the case studies aimed to
Provide evidence of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled social innovation
to implement the actions suggested in the SIP in order to modernize their social
protection systems
Contribute to a better understanding of the impact of social policies by studying
promising initiatives The initiatives selected aimed to simplify processes and better
target benefits and services improve management design high-quality and cost-
effective services and identify effective channels of public value distribution
In order to achieve the above objectives five steps were undertaken
i An inception analysis was carried out in order to define the methodology that would
be used to conduct the research activities (ie a review of the state of the art and
the selection of the case studies for in-depth analysis) The inception analysis also
reviewed the data gathering tools to be used
ii A comprehensive review of the state of the art in modernising social protection
systems was completed The review comprised relevant literature policies
theoretical approaches and the level of service provision amongst the different EU
countries It also collected and documented promising initiatives across the EU
Specific emphasis was given to the role played by ICTs as well as its barriers and
enablers
iii We tried to understand the role played by ICTs in these social innovations and the
provision of these services as both enablers and game-changers (Misuraca et al
2015) This phase aimed to identify relevant examples of the application of ICT-
enabled social innovation to support the modernisation of social protection systems
in the EU Basic data and documentation were gathered on 50 potential examples
representing the 5 types of welfare systems and illustrating the 10 PSSGI areas
included in the SIP
For each of the 50 examples identified a short case description providing the
context objectives activities main results and impacts was included In addition a
typology of ICT-enabled social innovation services and impacts was developed
Based on the knowledge gathered we established some criteria for the selection of
case studies
iv Based on the results of the previous steps the most promising cases among the 50
were selected for further in-depth analysis
v We analysed both the data obtained through desk research and the qualitative data
collected through in-depth interviews with representatives of the organizations
involved in the selected cases including beneficiaries and other relevant
stakeholders In each case study we investigated how ICT-enabled social
innovation is being or has been implemented We looked at what results have
been achieved in terms of SIP objectives return on investments and impact areas
In addition a cross-case analysis was also carried out which included discussion of
the potential implications for policies at local national and EU level and with
specific regard to the SIP objectives
12
22 Literature review
A dedicated literature review was deemed necessary to help us select initiatives that would
provide relevant insights into achieving the IESI objectives described earlier ie
a) explore the relationships between different typologies of implemented ICT-enabled
social innovation and the social protection system in which they are embedded and
b) assess the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which
promote social investment on the modernisation of social protection systems in EU
Member States
The literature review investigated the state of the art in the modernisation of social
protection systems in Europe in order to identify the main elements that characterise the
landscape in which ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives had been implemented This
included a review of relevant scientific literature policies theoretical approaches and the
level and types of service provision in EU countries and of grey literature such as policy
documents and reports by practitioners administrative sources and official statistical
reports
We considered the main features of the socio-economic context such as the relationships
between social innovation and social protection systems the relationships between social
protection systems and welfare systems and the role of services integration and social
protection system
23 Case studies
231 Selection of initiatives
Having completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds we then selected 50 promising cases These were chosen from the
initiatives identified by the IESI mapping exercise and additional ad-hoc searches
The criteria used for the selection included geographical coverage representativeness of
the different welfare systems coverage of all the relevant thematic areas (derived from a
revisited typology of PSSGI) representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders
(public private and third sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis
Step 1 Multi-criteria analysis
Taking the data collected on the 50 initiatives as input we used a ranking model based on
the multi-criteria methodology shown in Figure 2 below Each initiative was in fact
analysed according to the two criteria of relevance and complexity in order to capture its
potential systemic impact This allowed us to give a numerical score to different sub-
parameters for each of the 50 initiatives identified
Step 2 Applying the IESI analytical framework
As shown in Figure 3 the IESI analytical framework from the IESI Knowledge Map
(Misuraca et al 2015) was then used to further assess the initiatives While the ICT-
enabled innovation potential was used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives
belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo cluster (incremental and sustained innovation)
and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster (disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of
governance of service integration was used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with
the highest level of governance)
13
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology
Source own elaboration
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework
Source own elaboration
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis
232 Analysis of case studies
The analysis of the selected case studies followed three main methodological steps (i)
desk research (ii) interviews and (iii) case development and analysis The desk research
focused on technical documents publications and reports produced by policy makers
researchers and academics and also surveys undertaken by consultants and international
experts The aim was to obtain specific and reliable data about the context and the impact
of each of the initiatives under analysis and to identify and select relevant key informants
RELEVANCE
COMPLEXITY
Dimension of initiative
Impact strength of initiative
Level of reference of the
initiative
Level of effectiveness
Degree of integration
across multiple social services
Level of stakeholders partecipation
Level of integration of the
initiative
LocalRegional - 1National - 2
Transnational - 3
Productivity improvement- 1Operational change - 2New delivery system - 3
Seldom project references- 1Qualitative project references - 2
Good project references - 3
1 ndash 2 SIP Objectives impacted- 13 ndash 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 2gt 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 3
1 ndash 2 Social Services impacted- 13 ndash 4 Social Services impacted - 2gt 4 Social Services impacted - 3
Public or Private or Third Sector- 1
PublicPrivate or PublicThird Sector or PrivateThird Sector - 2
PublicPrivateThird Sector - 3
Isolated- 1Intra governmental or Inter-governmental 2
Inter-sectorial or Pervasive - 3
SCORE ATTRIBUTIONRULES IN THE
PROCESS MODEL
14
Each interview was based on the gaps identified by the desk research and tailored to the
type of stakeholder to be addressed in order to improve the quality of the data already
gathered Besides providing input for the case reports and the case study analysis this
exercise also contributed to improving the IESI Knowledge Map and the related data
validation process (see IESI analytical framework)5
The subsequent cross-case analysis built on two different and relevant components On
the one hand particular attention was paid to descriptive components such as the type of
initiatives area of social services covered location scale of implementation operational
funding target users stakeholders involved and partnerships built around the initiatives
On the other hand a significant effort was dedicated to identifying the factors that
generate impact social innovation elements ICT-enabled innovation potential levels of
governance integration and type of service integration The analytical framework adopted
for the cross-case analysis takes into consideration the coverage of different elements
which are important for clustering the initiatives as illustrated in Figure 4
Figure 4 Analytical framework
Source own elaboration
The methodology followed to select the cases took into account the level of governance of
service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential they presented The cross-
case analysis focused on the remaining two dimensions of the IESI analytical framework
ie types of service integration6 and elements of social innovation7 (see Misuraca et al
2015)
5 Clearly the sample of initiatives gathered at this stage of the research was not statistically representative of
the universe of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives for the modernisation of social protection systems not only because of its limited size but also because the overall population is unknown Nevertheless it represents a substantial effort towards providing a better and more structured understanding of the field the
critical success factors of policies in that field common patterns and emerging trends 6 According to Misuraca et al 2015 building on Kodner 2009 the integration might be at funding
administrative organisational or delivery system levels More precisely funding integration might be due to the use of funds coming from different sources (eg different public bodies PPPs etc) Administrative integration may be achieved through consolidationdecentralisation of responsibilities andor functions inter-sectorial planning needs assessment or joint purchasing Organisational integration might happen through co-location of services interagency planning contracting strategic alliances or networks building Finally delivery system integration can be achieved through case management informative cooperation multi-disciplinary teamwork etc
7 According to Misuraca et al (2015) building on Bekkers et al (2013) social innovation elements may be described conceptually as (i) needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production (ii) an open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks (iii) a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders and (iv) public value allocation andor re-allocation The IESI research considers and describes where ICTs play a crucial role in the generation of public value (Public value creation) andor in the public value distribution (Public sector social services provision)
15
3 Review of the state of the art
31 Social protection systems in Europe
311 Social investment trends
Since the 80s expenditure has increased mainly on old age insurance and pensions
(Nikolai 2012) However expenditure on education and training family and child benefits
health prevention or active labour market policy has not changed significantly despite
efforts by the European Commission and the advantages associated with the adoption of a
social investment perspective As a result the portfolio of services offered in EU Member
States is inadequate to address current societal challenges In fact the financial gap
between what is needed to address societal challenges and actual social investment in
public services delivery at existing employment levels was estimated by Accenture and
Oxford Economics to reach around $1600 billion in 2025 across 10 countries with a gap of
30 billion for Italy (13 of GDP in 2025) and 170 billion for the UK (54 of GDP)
(2013)
The ESPN Thematic Reports on Social Investment per country 20158 provides insights into
social investment and results at national level For instance Nordic and Anglo-Saxon
countries especially Finland and Ireland present the clearest cases of one-stop-shop
initiatives even if these are still under development The integration of social services
provision in these welfare models is at its most advanced - especially in Sweden and in the
United Kingdom Of the continental countries the Netherlands is the most advanced in
that field together with France Belgium and Luxembourg However the shortage of
resources following the economic crisis is expected to negatively affect the performance of
social service delivery processes in these countries in the mid- to long-term In contrast
harmonization is lacking in some continental countries like Austria and Germany and also
in Denmark (a Nordic Country)
This lack of coordination also exists in most Mediterranean and Central-Eastern European
countries In addition the situation in the latter is expected to worsen because of the
shortage of economic and financial resources straining public administrations and in turn
their capability to afford quality social services delivery Underperforming social services
are common in Mediterranean countries (eg Cyprus Malta and Greece) and in the
Central-Eastern European countries (eg Poland Romania Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic) Croatia and Slovenia are exceptions and represent positive examples of
reforming countries in Central-Eastern Europe Indeed they are in the process of
developing one-stop-shop models to deliver social services to their citizens
In this context the increasing demand for social protection has hindered full
implementation of social investment policies even in those countries where social reforms
started earlier and were implemented through structural changes For instance Sweden
and Denmark have shifted to less costly forms of labour market activation where
counselling replaces training and unemployment benefits have been reduced drastically
According to De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) who examined EU Member States employment
policies in the 1990s and 2000s there have not really been clear and massive shifts from
passive to active expenditure on labour market policies in the EU-15 but expenditure for
both is depleting while participants in active labour market programmes are increasing in
order to be able to receive benefits
Even more alarming is the decrease in public expenditure on families and children
considering the positive correlation between higher rates of women in employment and
poverty reduction and between the availability of early child education and care services
and future career development prospects for children
As for education findings from the OECD Social Report (2014) show that consolidation
efforts halted the long-term trend of rising public spending on education it declined
8 Some of the more relevant findings are analytically reported in the Table 1
16
relative to GDP between 2009 and 2010 in more than half of OECD countries with cuts
especially sharp in Hungary Iceland Italy Sweden Switzerland and the United States
The social investment perspective emerged as a response to changing conditions across
Europe including de-industrialization and increased international competition an ageing
population changing gender roles in labour markets and households and the introduction
and diffusion of new technologies All these factors ndashparticularly the demographic trends -
call for more and better welfare services However the economic and financial crisis has
led EU Member States to contain or even reduce social spending and look for efficiency
gains in social services Thus they hope to do more with fewer resources
312 Welfare systems reforms in Europe
According to recent publications (eg Eriksson Einarsson and Wijkstroumlm 2014
Hemerijck Draumlbing Vis Nelson and Soentken 2013 Morel Palier and Palme 2012)
welfare state reforms have been implemented in all European countries over the past
three decades Initially these reforms were about social and economic policy adjustment
and mainly focused on economic competitiveness Then once the European economic and
monetary union was established EU Member States became more willing to adapt
measures of cost containment together with more active labour market policies such as
subsidized employment and training
From 2000 new emerging societal challenges related to new work values family gender
relations and social integration reinforced by problems such as population ageing de-
industrialization and changing family roles (see eg Esping-Andersen et al 2002) pushed
policy makers to promote more active welfare models Most EU countries initiated
substantial welfare reforms in order to maximize employment restrain early retirement
and reconcile work and family life
According to Hemerijck (2013) Hemerijck et al (2013) and Nelson (2012) there seems
to be no radical changes in welfare reform patterns in Europe Even when changes are
substantial policies do not depart from existing practices (Esping-Andersen et al 2002)
Most reforms represent cumulative policy adjustments across adjacent policy areas Social
investment is another key means of bringing down unemployment by channelling (less
productive) workers into social security programmes and maximizing the rate of
employment
Both the Continental and the Nordic models moved from labour-shedding policies to
employment maximising strategies In addition in the Continental welfare model minimum
income provision was strengthened and there was a shift from male-breadwinner family
support towards family services based on female employment and work-care balance
Though there is a variety of regime-specific measures (Palier 2010 Esping-Andersen
2010) there is also a convergence between social policy and employment objectives in
line with the policy initiatives promoted by the EU agenda to encourage the transformation
of the welfare state (Bouget 2005) This process signals a transition from a
passivecorrective welfare state to a proactive investment strategy more focused on
prevention activation and social servicing (Hay 2004)
Finally in terms of old social policies such as pensions more Member States are making
occupational and private pensions compulsory and have developed systems linking
benefits with actual contributions
To summarise an analysis of the status of implementation of welfare policy reforms in
Europe is presented in Table 1 below It is structured according to the following
dimensions proposed by Hemerijck (2013b) (1) macroeconomic policy (including fiscal
exchange rate and monetary policy) (2) wage bargaining and industrial relations (3)
labour market policy (4) labour market regulation (5) social insurance and social
assistance (6) old age pensions (7) family and social servicing (8) welfare financing
and (9) governance and social policy administration
17
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Macroeconomic policy (including fiscal budget and monetary policy)
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size
Wage bargaining and industrial relations
Collective bargaining agreement not binding introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement
Collective bargaining agreement especially in Italy
Collective bargaining agreement only in a minority of countries introduction of minimum wage
Labour market policy
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning Flexicurity model which is the integration of generous unemployment benefits active labour market policies and flexible labour markets with the aim of improving workforces quality while reducing unemployment
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning some forms of flexicurity
Activation labour policy in Spain
Social insurance and social assistance
Tax cut for low wages support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed older regular workforce and support for the disabled
Support for low wages workers support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Support for disabled long-term unemployed marginal workers as well as short- term unemployed
Limited support for marginal workers mostly for insiders
Support to long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Old age pensions
Increase in retirement age expansion of support to groups having lower income or irregular employment
Flexible retirement age increase in pension age move from a defined benefit to a defined- pay-as-you-go contribution system
Increase in retirement age more flexibility in retirement age partial privatisation of pensions with complementary occupational or private plans
Increase in retirement age linking of the pension formula to contributions in a quasi-actuarial fashion introducing a public notional defined contribution system
Reforms of pension systems through privatization and individualization of savings Before the reforms pension systems were defined as ldquopay as you gordquo ( transfers from public firms to the state budget with scarce contributions from workers
18
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Family and social servicing
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave
Increase of maternity and paternity leave increased access to childcare
Welfare financing
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
In Czech Republic there was a shift from tax financing in order to increase payroll financing In this way social contribution was linked to benefit
Governance and social policy administration
In Ireland from 1994 onwards the state became less involved in the implementation of social policies as for example public employment services were moved to non-statutory agencies
In Denmark the second Rasmussen government reformed the Public Employment Services streamlining the responsibilities for all labour market policies both for insured and uninsured jobseekers under a single National Labour Market Authority
In Germany the Hartz commission recommended the restructuring of the social insurance system and in particular of the German Public Employment Service governance
Source IESI internal elaboration
19
The above table shows that the Nordic and Continental countries implemented structural
reforms earlier than the other countries and in more depth They also pursued synergies
with social investments policies
For example these countries (particularly the Nordic ones) have implemented labour
market policies combined with training life-long learning and flexicurity policies These
policies aim to mitigate inequalities by leveraging human capital and thus the quality of
the workforce while at the same time reducing unemployment
The Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted similar employment policies although these do
not include any form of flexicurity
By contrast the Mediterranean countries ndash with the exception of Spain ndash and the Eastern
European countries did not adopt any significant structural measures to support the
workforce until the crisis In recent years the Mediterranean countries have started to
adopt some reforms of the labour market and other structural reforms addressing their
social protection systems However these are not considered in the above table because
they have not affected society yet
These differences in labour market policies are also apparent in other structural policies
such as old age pension policies Nordic and Continental countries have introduced
flexible retirement age policies and increased the pension age as have other countries
Policy measures to support family and work life balance were adopted to some extent by
most EU Member States at least in relation to the ldquoincrease of maternity and paternity
leaverdquo However only in the Nordic Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare models have
these measures been associated with other measures which support a better balance
between work and life and greater access to childcare and female employment In these
countries the benefits of structural changes in their welfare systems have also been
translated into reduced taxation and rationalized public administration services In most
cases this was accomplished by integrating various social services and creating a single
point of access
The structural reforms allowed Nordic Central European and Anglo-Saxon countries to
also adopt more active social insurance and social assistance policy reforms For
example they were able to introduce tax cuts for low wages workers and to offer more
support to the long-term and short-term unemployed and regular older workers as well
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services
321 Social services delivery
A social services system is generally defined as the (combination) of interventions
programmes and benefits that are provided by governmental civil society and
community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically
disadvantaged individuals and families In this respect social services are mainly
provided by public sector organisations and different levels of government using
traditional public service delivery mechanisms However social services can also be
contracted to private organizations through concessions transfers outsourcing or other
public-private partnerships systems such as framework contracts and service-levels
agreements Contracting out is becoming more and more common citizens and
organizations from the private or the third sector are complementing the public sector in
providing services or are acting as partners in designing and implementing different
service delivery phases Often the design and provision of new innovative services can be
initiated by private or third sector organisations and subsequently incorporated into the
public service delivery system
The Commission Communication on social services of general interest (April 2006 - COM
(2006) 177 final) defines two main categories of social services
20
i ldquoStatutory and complementary social security schemes organised in various ways
(mutual or occupational organisations) covering the main risks of life such as
those linked to health ageing occupational accidents unemployment retirement
and disabilityrdquo
ii ldquoOther essential services provided directly to the person These services that play
a preventive and social cohesion role consist of customised assistance to facilitate
social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights They comprise first of all
assistance for people faced by personal challenges or crises (such as debt
unemployment drug addiction or family breakdown) Secondly they include
activities to ensure that the persons concerned are able to completely reintegrate
into society (rehabilitation language training for immigrants) and in particular
the labour market (occupational training and reintegration) These services
complement and support the role of families in caring for the youngest and oldest
members of society in particular Thirdly these services include activities to
integrate persons with long-term health or disability problems Fourthly they also
include social housing providing housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially
less advantaged groupsrdquo
By the same token according to EC (2010) social services improve citizensrsquo quality of life
by helping to tackle issues such as market externalities information asymmetries
distributional concerns agency problems natural monopolies public goods and services
(Cichon et al 2004 Greve 2002) Welfare states have several instruments they can use
to remedy these negative externalities eg governments are able to tax public ldquobadsrdquo
(Albrecht 2006)
The social services delivery systems carry out the following series of functions
Provision of care and support which is obviously the key function of Personal
Social Services (PSS - which include PSSGI) systems Each country decides which
sectors provide the services and how and who receives them under what
circumstances
Community development and care coordination because all systems have to
figure out and coordinate efficiently additional non-state resources due to the fact
that limited funding is available for services
Social control consisting of the enforcement of societal rules and procedures and
also societal norms For example mentally ill individuals and young offenders can
act in ways that are not in their own interests and can also represent a threat to
other citizens
Protection especially of children older people and the disabled who can be
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation
Regulation countries have adopted a decentralized mixed economy in which the
central state plays a crucial role in regulating PSS by setting standards and
monitoring developments
Social integration of excluded groups into mainstream society
The stakeholders responsible for the above functions belong to three main sectors
The public sector including local regional and central government Personal social
services can be provided by individual departments or as part of larger
departments such as social security health and education
The for-profit sector which is growing in size and relevance in some EU countries
(eg United Kingdom) The organizations operating in this sector are sometimes
difficult to distinguish from the ones operating in the voluntary non-profit sector
The only criterion that may differentiate these two sectors is an annual budget
surplus in the former
21
The voluntary non-profit sectors (consisting in self-help groups like the Alcoholics
Anonymous or NGOs) These use both paid and unpaid resources and volunteers
working inside or outside formal schemes
The evidence collected in this research suggests the following common trends in policy
reforms
Promotion of targeted programmes for the social and economic integration of
socially unprotected families by distributing social protection funds and
operational activities that target not only households but also specific individuals
according to their social and economic needs
Reconsideration of social protection systems in terms of not only existing
operations problems and service provision but also the needs of future
generations in order to ensure their sustainability
Introduction of roadmaps consisting of specific steps to improve social protection
It is worth noting that the use of ICTs boosts the operational transformation in social
services delivery processes in the above mentioned trends in policy reforms For
example it allows
An open-government approach and also the re-use of data through electronic
channels and across the entire public sector
The use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) in the 2014-2020
period to further finance ICT-based developments in healthcare with a view to
ensuring better connectivity between and among national healthcare systems
The integration of systems across departments and public authorities This allows
data and processes to be automatically shared so that support can be tailored by
predictive analytics based on evidence of what works for different customer
groups
The collection of information on policy interventions in order to build evidence to
inform future policy design
Online access to all transactions information and services
322 Social services integration
To cope with the societal challenges and demands for social services mentioned in the
previous subsection new approaches to service delivery are necessary The literature
review carried out shows that service delivery should have the following characteristics
Integrated services human resources management and social service delivery
model design need to be integrated in order to create more effective solutions for
people at risk and for disadvantaged groups Governments are exploring the
potential of integrating their various systems and service models to provide a
single point of customer service This will reduce administrative costs and increase
efficiency by removing duplication Moreover eliminating barriers to access and
offering a more user-centric approach would improve service efficiency and user
satisfaction
Shared services combining back-office processes reduces costs and increases the
effectiveness of service delivery Moreover sharing administrative systems and
processes allows governments to better leverage their technology and service
provider budgets Some governments have taken this approach further making
use of cloud technology to provide infrastructure and systems as a service
offering greater agility and responsiveness to their human resources and social
service agencies
22
Public Private Partnership (PPP) models PPPs can help achieve cost-efficiencies
By contracting services out to the private sector governments might be able to
reduce overheads focus on core service components and achieve greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment Moreover PPPs can achieve
greater efficiency as private organizations seek to reduce costs while maintaining
high levels of service delivery However to maximize the value of PPPs
governments must mitigate the risks associated with third-sector relationships
They must also structure reimbursement in a way that incentivizes efficiency and
positive outcomes while preventing fraud and abuse
Greater accountability governments are also trying to increase the impact of their
services by strengthening financial and accounting systems Thus they not only
achieve greater effectiveness but also enhance their ability to detect fraud and
address system inefficiencies Furthermore governments are also experimenting
with dynamic pay-for-performance models in existing markets through PPPs This
kind of model embeds the principles of accountability into service provision and
creates programmes that are focused on outcomes rather than processes
According to KPMG (2013) ldquoservices integrationrdquo denotes efforts to increase the
coordination of operations within human resources and social services systems Its
overall aim is to improve efficiency and client outcomes As shown in Figure 5 below
the integration process can be depicted as a continuum from no integration to full
integration
Figure 5 The integration continuum
Source KPMG 2013
The provision of integrated services offers the following advantages from an operational
perspective
increased capacity and value for money by reducing duplication in administrative
processes
improved strategic planning and system integrity as the sharing of information
between different agencies and programme areas improves the understanding of
service usage patterns and client needs
bull A highly fragmented
system with service
delivery organizations
working in isolation
No Integration
bull Informal cooperation between practitioners
bull Sharing of facilities and overheads but no integration of service
Partial Integration
bull Some formal sharing of resources and joint planning
bull I n f o r m a t i o n o n m u l t i p l e s e r v i c e s availability
Limited integration
bull Integrated staffing
funding technology
applications service
delivery tools and case management
Full integration
23
reduced demand for emergency services since smoother and more coordinated
assistance can help stabilise the conditions of clients thus reducing the need for
more costly crisis interventions
Moreover integrated services offer clients the following advantages
simplified access through one-stop-shops and integrated online portals
holistic and customized support through better understanding of their needs
faster response times as streamlined back-office systems improve processing
times
improved outcomes and user experience as better sequencing and coordination of
interventions can improve client outcomes over time
The key enablers of services integration can be represented and explained as shown in
Figure 6 below
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation
Source KPMG 2013
It is useful to briefly examine the three main drivers of service integration
Demographic transition more and more individuals are affected by a range of
different conditions and use multiple services Advances in technology have made
it possible to link information across programme areas and identify individuals
with complex needs In addition population ageing is prompting the redesign of
the provision of care for the aged because of sustainability challenges for care
providers changing family dynamics and structures high levels of household
debt and declining private pension coverage These factors mean that more older
people will rely on care provided by government rather than relatives or personal
savings
KEY ENABLERS
bull Electronic client records data analytics and interoperable technologies have enabled the identification of at-risk clients and a better understanding of service usage Coordinated case management and the more targeted use of resources have been possible as a result
bull Advances in data encryption and the proliferation of internet usage and mobile computing devices have allowed more clients to self-serve
through integrated web portals secure online accounts and mobile device applications
bull Data sharing legislation has facilitated
seamless referrals and integrated case
management between government
agencies and providers from the private
and not-for-profit sectors
bull Governments have sought to ensure pract it ioner compliance through
enshrining integration initiatives in
legislation
Legislation
bull Combined working groups staff co-
l o c a t i o n a n d j o i n t t r a i n i n g
arrangements are enabling knowledge
transfer and collaboration between
agencies levels of government andor
different sectors bull Transformed training recruitment
communi cation and performance
management practices are addressing
skills gaps and supporting new ways of
working New roles are being created and existing jobs redesigned
Workforce development
Technology
bull Payment-for-performance funding models (where providers are rewarded for improving client outcomes) are promoting the use of coordinated interventions to address social problems
bull The introduction of personal budgets is enabling service users and case managers to bypass organizational silos and purchase a mix of
support services from providers In doing so greater choice and autonomy is driving the creation of a social services marketplace
bull Pooled ldquoplace-basedrdquo budgets are producing clear incentives to coordinate services around local needs bull Joint commissioning enables agencies to overcome barriers to sharing resources and coordinating investment
bull Contracting and tendering reforms are being used to incentivize collaboration among third party service providers
Funding and contracting
24
Client expectations digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can
interface with service providers across a range of industries They now expect to
be able to access information and services through the web and mobile devices
Human and social services leaders are responding to these cultural changes and
new usage patterns by developing a range of new digital platforms including
integrated websites online accounts and smartphone and tablet apps
Economic pressures the global economic downturn has caused a rise in
unemployment (particularly long-term) in many countries Governments have
started to bring together services to address the demand and supply-side barriers
that prevent individuals from finding sustained employment However at the
same time high levels of sovereign debt have led to public sector austerity
measures in many developed economies This makes the issue of more cost-
effective service delivery one of the top priorities in policy agendas
As regards integrated services provision the following trends need to be considered
Client pathways aim to provide a more targeted and personalized approach that
enables clients with complex needs to receive coordinated services and support In
addition they enable most clients to serve themselves through streamlined access
points This trend also applies to government interventions which target the way
clients engage with services Governments are building capacity in big data analytics
as the growing complexity of datasets makes client patterns difficult to identify
without approaches of this kind
Focus on outcomes service providers are increasingly expected to deliver
demonstrable improvements in client outcomes Governments are increasingly
investing in building an evidence base for services integration They are developing
funding regimes linked to measurable outcomes and coordinating upstream
interventions that focus on prevention Service delivery providers are testing a range
of techniques and tools which encourage case workers and clients to focus on
achieving a set of agreed outcomes
bull Online access secure online accounts that allow users to navigate and access
programmes have become the norm in many jurisdictions
Inter-governmental integration there is growing recognition that greater
coordination between different levels of government is essential to improve system
integrity It reduces both duplication and gaps in service provision and enables
comprehensive responses to clientsrsquo complex needs Examples of government actions
in this respect include
Joint commissioning through joint-commissioning governments at different
levels find ways to combine resources align incentives and optimize system level
outcomes
Interoperability new frameworks tools and technologies are being developed
to enable systems to interact and exchange information across different levels of
government
bull Inter-sectorial integration governments are increasingly seeking opportunities to
build partnerships with service providers in the private and not-for-profit sectors
because of the significant role they play in delivering publicly-funded services The
current service delivery sector is highly fragmented and uncoordinated Therefore
individuals and families in need of support must navigate a confusing array of
providers and services In an attempt to solve this issue governments are taking the
following actions
o Network integration governments bring together community agencies in
formal networks to offer clients seamless support as they move through family
support services
25
o Resource sharing many governments make information available through
open data portals others have set up common client databases and removed
barriers that have previously have prevented the sharing of client information
across sectors finally some governments are engaged in staff co-location
o Funding and contracting governments have streamlined contracting
processes by standardizing terms and consolidating contracts They also use
funding to incentivize community sector consolidation collaboration and
social enterprise and to produce joint investment strategies
o Location-based integration there is growing support for the notion that
complex social problems are best addressed through coordinated local-level
interventions Governments have begun to undertake location-based planning
which has led to the restructuring of human resources and social services
departments along geographical rather than programme lines This gives them
a better understanding of local needs and enables them to react more
effectively to local needs
323 The one-stop-shop model
A typical example of services integration is the ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo model Following Askim
et al (2011) a ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo can be defined as an organizational model in which
service users are provided with a single entry point into the welfare system This model
is used to improve coordination in welfare services provision and takes various forms
such as fully integrated and physically co-located services virtual information portals
frontlines of complex single agencies or umbrella structures for several agencies
The participant structure of ldquoone stop shopsrdquo may be thought of as a variable In some
cases this structure can be quite simple for instance when a single agency with a wide
task portfolio implements a ldquoone stop shoprdquo for its customers In other cases the
structure is more complex For example the ldquoone stop shoprdquo may operate on top of
partner organizations and aim to maximize the convenience to the clients of all partners
through service integration operating as an intergovernmental partnership In this case
partner organisations remain separate but parts of their services are integrated
Coordination in ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo usually occurs when policy best meets citizensrsquo needs
ldquoOne-stop shopsrdquo represent a mechanism for increasing accessibility enhancing bottom-
up accountability achieving greater efficiency and reducing transaction costs and
duplications from the perspective of citizens providers and governments Kubicek and
Hagen (2001) distinguish between ldquofirst stop shopsrdquo ldquoconvenience storesrdquo and true ldquoone-
stop shopsrdquo The ldquofirst stop shoprdquo merely points citizens to relevant services In this case
clients have to take at least one more step which implies substantial pro-active
involvement on their part The ldquoconvenience storerdquo model is when several transactional
services are located in a single office or on one website In this case citizens are also
required to take further steps themselves The final type the lsquodepartment storersquo or true
one stop shop integrates specific client groups andor focuses services around specific
life events or administrative matters affecting citizens
The key dimensions defining ldquoone stop shopsrdquo with associated values are presented in
Table 2 Although the values presented are binary each variable can be thought as a
continuum with ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo located in the continuum between these two values
The first dimension is the tasks portfolio which represents the range of services
delivered The breadth of the task portfolio (narrow vs broad) corresponds to the range
of policy areas covered As an example some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo only deal with
unemployment while others offer services in other areas such as pensions welfare
benefits and social services The depth (shallow vs deep) refers to work processes
some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo provide only partial product closure (ie information or
26
signposting only) while others provide complete product closure (ie information
advice assistance to the application processes and case closure)
We also differentiate ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo according to how autonomous they are Those
with low autonomy where participation is compulsory have little discretion in terms of
budget management and organization Those with high autonomy where participation
is voluntary have a high degree of discretion in terms of budget management and
organization
They can also be distinguished in terms of participant structure Simple structures
include only a few partners and a single public level of government and complex
structures involve several agencies and levels of government as well as a mix of public
and private actors
Proximity to citizens is another factor services can be distant (eg regionally-based
service) or close (eg locally-based neighbourhood services virtually accessible in
citizensrsquo own homes)
Finally if we look at the instruments (tools or mechanisms) used to facilitate joint
working we can distinguish between low integration when the services are located
together but managed separately and high integration with joint management budget
and recruitment
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops
Variable Values and Examples
Tasks portfolio
Narrow Broad
Few policy areas eg employment only
More policy areas eg pensions welfare benefits social services
Shallow Deep
Information signposting only (only partial product closure)
Information + advice + assistance with applications case closure on the spot (complete product closure)
Participant structure
Simple Complex
Few agencies Multiple agencies
One municipality Several municipalities
One level of government Several levels of government
Public sector only Mix of public private NGOs
Autonomy Low High
Compulsory participation in one stop shop
Voluntary participation in one stop shop
Little discretion in terms of budget management
organization
High discretion in terms of budget management organization
Proximity to citizen
Distant Close
Regionally based service Locally based neighbourhood service virtual service accessible in own home
Instruments Low integration High integration
Co-located services but separately managed
Joint management joint budgets joint recruitment personal shopper
Source Askim et al 2011
27
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision
331 ICTs supporting the transformation of social service delivery
In general terms the use of ICTs has an impact on the transformation of social service
delivery as it facilitates targeting by identifying beneficiaries more effectively It also
improves payment mechanisms allowing savings on operational costs (time and human
resources) and on benefits provided (avoiding double allowances) Their use also makes
interventions more effective (thanks to greater accuracy) and encourages greater trust in
government through better user experience
ICTs can be used as a vehicle to increase accountability and to transform and extend the
reach of service delivery to the underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient
manner In fact ICTs are able to increase accessibility inclusivity and flexibility in
service delivery allowing more citizens to interact with government with the flexibility of
choice offered by multiple delivery channels and in more convenient timeframes
Thus governments can transform the way services are delivered by using ICTs rather
than simply cutting back on social services in the face of budget deficits Following Booz
et al (2005) we describe four main waves of ICT adoption by governments in Figure 7
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments
Source Booz et al (2005)
The first wave focused on improving access and connectivity and was largely concerned
with the development of infrastructure The second wave provided add-ons to existing
services through online provision The third wave led by efficiency agendas focused on
the automation of existing processes Governments have re-engineered their business
processes and implemented faster ones enabled by ICTs Thus ICTs have played an
important role in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of government services
even though more integrated and citizen-centric service delivery still requires further
transformation of business processes to adopt and respond to new technologies This will
be achieved in the fourth wave in which the traditional channels for running the back-
office of government become ICT-enabled and seamlessly integrated In this stage
governments will shift from re-engineering existing processes to envisioning completely
new ways of implementing service delivery
28
The framework proposed by Booz et al in 2005 is still valid from a conceptual
standpoint However it is clear that more recent developments in ICT adoption in
government and more specifically in social services delivery processes (which are highly
knowledge intensive and where ICTs can therefore play an important role) need to be
considered This is especially the case in what could be considered as a fifth wave which
would include the adoption of new technological architectures These will enable the use
of interception techniques management and analysis of structured and non-structured
data (Big Data Analytics) and the production and use of public data in a linked format
(BOLD ndash Big Open Linked data) The latter will intersect with single users personalised
approaches exploiting multi-device and multi-channel logics (eg web social mobile)
This is will make it easier to use ICTs as the main means of developing different
pathways for the management of social services They will allow the application of an
end-user centric approach and the development of new services at the point of need
They will also leverage new horizontal forms of cooperation based on social innovation
principles
Therefore in line with the overall literature review and recent trends not yet fully
considered by most scholars in the field the transformation of social service delivery can
be enabled by ICTs along the following dimensions
Degree of integration across multiple social services This is an important
aspect of the contribution made by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to the
modernisation of social protection systems in light of current trends It represents
the capability of social innovation initiatives to achieve the aim of social
investment policies namely delivering social services which increase institutional
complementarities and ensure the integration of policy measures (EC 2015)
Degree of stakeholder participation in the social service delivery model
This is another important aspect of the impact of ICT-enabled social innovation It
represents the capability of initiatives to develop a collaborative service delivery
model (across public private and non-governmental operators) ICT-enabled
social innovation initiatives are able to integrate multi-stakeholder perspectives in
the co-design and co-creation of innovative solutions of social services delivery
processes (Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) ICTs can be the engine for new
forms of horizontal ndash and to some extent circular ndash subsidiarity and for entirely
new and disruptive innovation in the social and human services sector Thus they
support the emergence of new public private and mixed (hybrids) markets and
new value propositions at the crossroads between market and social protection
systems
Key transformation dimensions enabled by different combinations of ICTs may include
More accessible data Here ICTs could support
o the demand side by allowing providers to extract detailed information on
the needs profile of each user via web and social semantic mechanisms
This would give them information on new service opportunities assistance
needs and other useful items of information in a near real time
communication protocol
o the supply side by providing through big data and visual analytics
detailed and valuable information on the current social service system
capacity obtaining data from Web sectoral or relevant databases and
other structured or unstructured data sources (Linked Open Data)
Better knowledge The cloud and distributed knowledge management platforms
enable in-depth analysis of current markets They aggregate data via a well-
structured semantic interoperability approach and big data and visual analytics
technologies They enable in-depth evaluations of future scenarios thanks to data
mining and agent-based approaches
29
Better regulation Information deriving from all the actors involved in the
process could enrich the knowledge management environment thus enabling
institutions to adopt measures to improve processes (Process Changes) from a
regulatory and an operational point of view
Sirovatka-Greve (2015) identified four streams in the discussion of social innovation in
public services
The role of innovation in the knowledge economy (Room 2005) this focuses on
how innovation in technologies and in management can be applied to the
provision of public services
Public sector innovation (Bloch 2010) looking at how to support the private
sector in its efforts to innovate
Governance models (for instance decentralisation marketization or partnerships)
as sources of innovation (Van Berkel et al 2011)
Grass-roots organisations and initiatives how they can be empowered and
supported to innovate (Klein and Harrison 2007)
These four interrelated streams point to social innovation as a way of modernising public
sector systems adapting them to citizensrsquo needs and expectations better and more
economically sustainable
ICTs potential for enhancing innovation in social services could go beyond simply making
new products available or improving efficiency in management practices They can foster
a key characteristic of social innovation namely its capacity to bring together a broad
range of stakeholders facilitating their efforts to jointly build new and better answers to
ever-changing societal needs in spite of shrinking public budgets ICTs have enabled new
organisational business and value models Technological skills are often instrumental to
capacity building and to the empowerment of all operators engaged in the delivery of
social services innovation These skills may result in more sustainable individual and
collective behaviour and in self-regulation processes
332 ICTs enabling changes in social services delivery models
According to Van Berkel et al (2011) reforms in service delivery systems have been
traditionally related to three main movements decentralisation (political or
administrative) marketization (contracting-out or strengthening competition among
providers) and new public management (performance indicators incentives and
controlmonitoring mechanisms)
To better understand the contribution ICTs can make to the process of change in social
service delivery models it might be useful to consider another approach ie one that
looks at the link between the reform in service delivery systems and the social needs
primarily addressed in specific fields of social services
First of all ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can contribute to better
coordination among citizens and social services actors or beneficiaries and
formal and informal caregivers The aim of these ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to increase coordination and collaboration amongst those for example who
care for chronically-ill patients at home Here ICTs can act as an enabling factor that
drives the organizational transformation of service delivery A major advantage of ICTs is
that they provide case management services customized to the changing needs of the
patients and their relatives at the point of need In addition they can strengthen inter-
governmental integration and inter-sectorial communication among care providers ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives can increase the productivity of the workforce and
the cost-effectiveness of the service delivery process They can also ensure the overall
sustainability of the service in the mid to long term
30
Secondly ICTs encourage active inclusion and provide support to the care
practices communities The aim of these types of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to empower ageing people by increasing their capabilities to care for
themselves and at the same time to support their inclusion in society In this ICTs are
fundamental ldquogame changersrdquo substantially transforming care services delivery In line
with the SIP objectives they promote active inclusion and help to make significant
savings in care services delivery (eg less unplanned hospitalizations for adverse events
and increase of productivity of the care workforce)
Furthermore the contribution of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives may be seen
when we look at innovations for home care services delivery This type of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiative is the most frequently implemented because it is
recognised that home care for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF
etc) and ageing patients in general is much better than hospital care In contrast to the
previous cases the ICT focus here is on monitoring technologies (mainly sensors and
actuators) that can provide health professionals with data and information automatically
about patientsrsquo health status and allow a virtual nearly real-time interaction with them
These technologies can be ldquogame-changersrdquo in the modernisation of care services as
they enable a disruptive transformation of the care processes for these patients
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can also be game changers in integrating work
and care This type of initiative also fits in well with structural reforms that aim to allow
individuals of working age to remain productive and employable for longer than before
In addition ICT-enabled social innovation can contribute to transforming service delivery
models through better integration between employment and life-long learning
services throughout individualsrsquo lives They address the need to leverage the knowledge
capital of individuals and maintain the employability of Europeans at a high level In
these cases ICT-enabled social innovation can enable e-learning services and thus
maintain individualsrsquo employability levels over time andor to better integrate the back
offices of organizations which match job demand with job offer In more advanced cases
ICT can also be ldquogame changersrdquo by proactively integrating life-long learning services
with the automatic identification of skills gaps so that jobseekers meet job offer
requirements These initiatives increase individualsrsquo employability throughout their
working lives
ICTs also contribute to change by better integrating work family and social
inclusion These types of initiatives help individuals to cope with childcare keeping
them included in society and allowing them to participate in labour markets ICT-enabled
social innovation solutions facilitate the identification of the best service providers and
the coordination of public and private offers of childcare services for families They also
enhance the integration of public and private actors in their efforts to cover the whole
spectrum of childcare services These initiatives have an impact on the modernisation of
social services as they allow for example better synchronization of the public and
private offer of childcare services which in turn increases their cost-effectiveness They
also minimize vacancies andor overbooking of childcare services and reduce the
negative externalities affecting parents for instance reconciling family life social
inclusion and work
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives also improve the delivery of social inclusion
services for the homeless This type of services addresses the needs of homeless
people living in urban centres Homelessness is a complex problem which requires the
provision of structural solutions and at the same time first-aid interventions which cut
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
ICT-enabled social innovation in this case can support both sides of homeless peoples
needs as it can provide a more cost effective means of collaboration and coordination
between public and private actors involved in the delivery of a service ICTs can in fact
act as a ldquogame-changerrdquo by using information technology to help public and private
31
actors understand better the behaviour of homeless people and provide more effective
services at the point of need ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can significantly
improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery models
Finally ICT-enabled social innovation fosters the development of one-stop-shops
This is another type of social innovation initiative for the modernisation of social services
delivery in which ICTs can play a relevant role as already discussed
333 Enabling factors and barriers
Social innovation is a very high priority on the European political agenda (Haxeltine et al
2013 BEPA 2014) not only because it is seen as a new way to address social issues
oversaw by both private and public sectors but also because of the complex social
economic and environmental challenges which affect society
Social protection systems in EU Member States are facing a double challenge First they
must address contingency needs with reduced budgets as a consequence of the crisis
Second they must respond to the needs emerging from structural changes including
evolving social preferences and behaviours demographic change technological
innovations etc
As already discussed the public sector is having difficulties in addressing these
challenges Furthermore social services have not up until now been profitable enough for
the private sector Civil society and citizens however are finding new ways of providing
structural and sustainable answers to these challenges through social innovation
In this context promoting social innovation within social policies entails
Adopting an investment approach which is coherent with the anticipated societal
needs
Mobilising a wide range of actors other than the usual social sector actors
Combining skillsbackgroundculture and business in ways which differ from
traditional business solutions
It also requires policy makers and the public sector in general to provide a suitable
environment in which these efforts can flourish They must also embed social innovation
initiatives in the public sector transformation process Policy initiatives should also
provide incentives which would encourage private investors to become involved in social
investment They may then find new paradigms and business models which would give
them a return on their investments and at the same time have a positive social impact
(Bugg-Levine amp Emerson 2011 Epstein amp Yuthas 2014)
As recognized by Caulier-Grice et al (2012) the distinguishing element of social
innovation is that it can ldquomeet societal needsrdquo in more effective ways than other
approaches by ldquoenhancing society capacity to act and often entails changes in social and
power relationsrdquo Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises play an important role
because they can rdquocreate social values that is seen as the creation of benefits or
reduction of costs for society ndash through efforts that address social need and problems ndash
in ways that go beyond the private gains and general benefits of market activityrdquo (Phills
et al 2008)
Both social investment perspectives and social innovation policies aim to address
relevant societal needs and contribute to the sustainable development of society Both
put the individual at the centre of the decision process
The complementarities between social investment perspectives and social policy
innovation are presented in Table 3 below
32
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation
Source IESI internal elaboration inspired by Hautamaki (2010)
According to Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin (2014) the main message coming from social
innovation initiatives is that ldquothey are the opposite of quick-fix solutions using their full
potential requires nothing less than a combination of lsquothe deep strategies of chess
masters with the quick tactics of acrobatsrsquo The lifecycles of social innovations (processes
of emergence stabilisation and scaling up) are very conditional and are not available
simply at the press of a buttonrdquo
Social innovation is the focus of a whole range of European Commission policy initiatives
the European platform against poverty and social exclusion the Innovation Union the
Social Business Initiative the Employment and Social Investment packages the Digital
Agenda the new industrial policy the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy
Ageing and Cohesion Policy Furthermore many social innovation projects have been
funded by Structural Funds Social innovation has been explicitly integrated into the
Structural Funds Regulations for 2014-2020 This opens up possibilities for Member
States and regions to invest in social innovation both through the ERDF and the ESF
A recent report provides information on policies adopted by the EU to support the
introduction of social innovation in public service modernisation processes (Hubert
Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) In particular it recognizes that the public sector will achieve
greater gains in quality efficiency fairness transparency and accountability only by
following social innovation principles like
Co-designing and co-creating innovative solutions (with other Member States
other parts of government businesses the third sector and citizens)
Adopting new and collaborative service delivery models (across public private and
non-governmental actors both within and across national borders)
Embracing creative disruption from technology (the pervasive use of social media
mobility big data cloud computing packaged in new digital government
offerings)
Adopting an attitude of experimentation and entrepreneurship (government itself
needs to become bolder and more entrepreneurial) ldquo
To understand how social innovation can contribute in practice to social investments and
to the modernisation of the social protection and social security systems in Europe an in-
depth analysis of case studies of emerging social innovation initiatives was carried out as
described in the next chapter
Social investment policy Social policy innovation
Basic value
Mitigation of inequalities across social groups through economic development and employment growth
Wellbeing and sustainable development
Type of policy
Supply-driven with focus on human capital development and efficient use throughout the life course of the individuals
Demand-driven with beneficiaries at the centre of the decision process
Level of implementation National level Regional-local level
Field of action National Global
Actors addressed Mainly single institution (now) Inter-institutional complementarities (trend)
Multi-stakeholders
Implementation process Direction and control from above (top-down)
Enabling spontaneous processes and experiments and competitions (bottom-up)
33
4 Cases overview
41 Main characteristics
As described in Chapter 2 a two-step approach based on a multi-criteria analysis and the
IESI conceptual framework was used to define a set of successful or promising cases for
further study A brief overview of the 14 selected cases is presented in Table 4 below
Table 4 Selected Case Studies
Initiative Acronym Country Area of service Welfare model
A Book for a Roof A Book for a Roof
Croatia Education and training - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Central Eastern Europe
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
ACTION Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Nordic
Badalona Assistance Services
BSA Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Mediterranean
Crossroads Bank for Social Security
CBSS Belgium Social care - Social assistance Employment - Civic engagement
Continental
Online Point of Single Contact
EESTIEE Estonia Civic engagement - Social care - Social assistance - Childcare - Education and training - Social housing - Employment - Social inclusion participation - Independent living
Central Eastern European
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
EKSOTE Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Nordic
Digitalisation of social security services
INPS Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement
Mediterranean
Little bird Little Bird Germany Childcare Continental
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
PASS Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Anglo-Saxon
Reform of employee
insurance implementation institution
PES Netherla
nds Employment - Employability - Social assistance
Continental
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web
Pocircle Emploi
France Employment - Employability
Continental
Strategy for Digital Welfare
SDW Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Nordic
National Telecare Development Programme
TDP Scotland UK
Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Anglo-Saxon
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
W2W Poland Employment - Employability
Central Eastern Europe
Source IESI internal elaboration
Some of the above initiatives have had a significant impact on the modernisation of
processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services at national level
These have a specific focus on the simplification of citizen access to social services and
the sustainability of social protection services for example the digitalization of services
(INPS) in Italy Estoniarsquos single point of contact (EESTIEE) the employee insurance
implementation institution (PES) in the Netherlands and the strategy for digital welfare
(SDW) in Denmark
34
Some of the selected initiatives focus solely on employment and employability PES Pocircle
Emploi and Express Train to Employment (W2W) These initiatives provide e-services for
jobseekers and employers at national level Other cases focus mainly on education and
training but also seek to improve social inclusion and the employability of beneficiaries
(eg A book for a Roof)
All the selected initiatives present a high degree of transferability In fact the service
models implemented in some of the initiatives have already been transferred to other
policy areas andor other geographical areas or are based on experiences in other
contexts for example Little Bird and W2W
The selected cases provide good coverage of the different types of actors generally
involved in ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives from the public private and third
sector The latter especially play a prominent role in some of the selected cases both as
initiative promoters and as active partners for example Pathway Accommodation amp
Support System (PASS) and A Book for a Roof
As shown in Figure 8 which illustrates the geographical distribution of the selected
initiatives the five welfare systems are covered fairly equally In addition as many
different EU countries as possible are included Each case represents a different country
and 14 different countries have therefore been covered in our analysis
Figure 8 Geographical distribution
Source IESI internal elaboration
Moreover the initiatives analysed represent all the PSSGI areas As shown in Table 5
below most of the initiatives because of the nature of the services offered and their
level of integration involve more than one type of social services
This is in line with the objectives of the IESI research It aims to explore initiatives which
have potential systemic effects on social protection systems and therefore considers the
ICT-enabled social innovation ecosystem (Misuraca et al 2015) in which each initiative
is embedded rather than individual practices focusing on a single area
35
Table 5 Social services addressed
Initiativersquos acronym
Country N of
PSSGI involved
Primary focus area
Additional focus areas
A Book for a Roof
Croatia 5 Education and training
Social Inclusion participation Civic engagement Social Assistance Employment
ACTION Sweden 5 Active Healthy Ageing
Independent living Integrated health- and social care Social Assistance Education and training
BSA Spain 3
Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
CBSS Belgium 4 Social Care Social Assistance Employment Civic engagement
EESTIee Estonia 9 Civic Engagement
Social Care Social assistance Childcare Education and training Social Housing Employment Social inclusionparticipation Independent living
EKSOTE Finland 2 Integrated health- and social care
Social Care
INPS Italy 4 Social Assistance
Social Care Social Inclusionparticipation Civic engagement
Little Bird Germany 1 Childcare None
PASS Ireland 2 Social Housing Social Assistance
PES Netherlands 3 Employment Employability Social Assistance
Pocircle Emploi France 2 Employability Employability Employment
SDW Denmark 5 Social Assistance
Social Care Education and training Integrated health- and social care Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
TDP United Kingdom
3 Independent living
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
W2W Poland 2 Employability Employment
Source IESI internal elaboration
Figure 9 shows the distribution of the selected cases across all the PSSGI covered by
the 14 selected cases It shows that the initiatives deal mostly with the following social
services areas social inclusionparticipation (17 of all initiatives) social assistance
(14) education and training (14) employability (12) and active and healthy ageing
(with all sub-areas combined 10)
36
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services
Source IESI internal elaboration
As explained in Chapter 2 the initiatives were assessed and selected against two
dimensions namely the level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled
innovation potential Figure 10 below illustrates the distribution of the selected
initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map where they have been located according to their
level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map
Source IESI internal elaboration
37
42 Areas of focus across the case studies
As already underlined in Section 2 the selected initiatives have high scores for at least
one of the two following dimensions ICT-enabled innovation potential and level of
governance of service integration The cross-case analysis therefore focuses on the other
two dimensions discussed namely the most significant social innovation elements which
characterise the initiatives and the type of service integration achieved or targeted
421 Social innovation focus
Our analysis shows that some initiatives which were conceived in order to meet new
emerging needs in the context of more complex societal challenges are either rooted in
or give rise to wider ranging structural changes at organizational and management level
(including at governance level) This type of structural change allows the creation and
allocation of new public value for citizens These initiatives normally target a wide
variety of beneficiaries and relevant needs see INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP
For example the implementation of the INPS (IT) initiative well represents a process
whose main initial objective was to move toward a need drivenoutcome-oriented service
production This required a complete redesign of the entire service production process
and the active contribution of all the stakeholders involved such as other public
administrations private intermediaries (Unions Tax Assistance Centres Labour market
consultants) and public and private job centres which resulted in a fundamental change
in the relationship between stakeholders It also transformed completely the traditional
way of managing running and controlling social security services using a new model
based on a client pathway approach This initiative is highly innovative since it improves
access to services in a one-stop shop approach allows the traceability of accounts and
enhances the accountability and transparency of the overall system
PASS (IE) is another good example of structural change and complete innovation in the
design of services for homeless people The overall need was to ensure better
coordination between the different institutions and private operators in the delivery of
services to homeless people The initiative has become a comprehensive client
management system for homeless service users which also provides statistical
information on homeless peoplersquos profiles and their use of the services The initiative has
become a powerful strategic instrument in the fight against homelessness PASS allows
us to identify emerging issues faced by the homeless it facilitates cooperation among
different agencies in order to provide a continuum of care and integrated assistance and
allows better planning of future services In this case the development of user pathways
in and out of the homeless service system which focus on individual needs rather than
on a specific group has also been central to the success of the initiative The system
produces statistical information on the homeless population which is being used by
public and private stakeholders to plan and manage programmes and strategies The
support provided to the homeless is therefore more effective and answers their needs
better This approach is more typical of the Anglo-Saxon welfare model in which private
sector actors are more involved in delivery systems
SDW (DK) is a digital strategy which aims to foster more cohesive welfare through
greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among administrations and stakeholders by
making use of ICTs It also seeks to create better opportunities to improve citizensrsquo
everyday lives in many areas such as healthcare social care labour market and
education through technologies Furthermore the digital transformation of welfare
services gives managers and employees in the public sector a more active role for
instance in motivating and assisting citizens to use technological solutions and get the
most out of them It makes the public sector more dynamic and innovative and capable
of delivering services of high quality As in other Nordic welfare social protection
systems social innovation in SDW is more about complementing and improving existing
public sector-led initiatives where the public sector plays a pivotal role in their success
than creating new services
38
Finally TDP (Scotland) and BSA (ES) allocate public value to citizens by integrating the
health and the social care sectors This facilitates the alignment of service funding and
incentives the promotion of inter-professional teams across the continuum of care as
and strong focused and diverse governance representing all stakeholders These
initiatives also foster a culture of cohesion which while familiar in the Anglo- Saxon
welfare model is more unusual and innovative in the Mediterranean welfare model
Nevertheless all the cases analysed in this section (INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP)
are the result of the general public spending review process in place at a national level
which encourages an overall rethinking of the ldquoapproach to clientrdquo in order to remain
sustainable over time
422 Social Service focus
Other initiatives focus on the social service itself Here the aim is to improve the match
between demand and supply with regard to a specific need These initiatives are
therefore mostly needs-driven and devoted to enhancing the outcomes of the
social protection system They consist of adapting the service supply and its delivery to
evolving needs It is quite a common priority of social protection systems in the Nordic
and Continental European welfare models and it appears in initiatives with a clearly
defined target service and a specific class of beneficiaries
PES (NL) focuses on building an accessible virtual market place in order to bridge the
gap between job seekers with difficulties to enter the labour market (mainly people with
disabilities) and employers who are willing to hire people from this group More precisely
this virtual market place makes more information available in order to allow profiling of
capabilities and competences and also supplies information on possible vacancies In
addition it provides accompanying services such as legal support profiling support etc
All this enhances the transparency of the labour market It allows the disabled to
participate in the workforce and the vacancies available for disabled employees to be
filled It also makes the communication with disabled applicants more timely and
efficient
EKSOTE (FI) and ACTION (SE) target senior citizens and their relatives in the area of
active and healthy ageing and long-term care They seek to reduce the incidence of a
typical condition and encourage people to care for themselves and live independently at
home They also support formal and informal carers The focus is on improving the
quality of care services through a more integrated and coordinated provision of social
services a simplification of the administration better targeting of benefits and it also
directs considerable educational efforts to beneficiaries and caregivers who use the new
services These initiatives enhance the cost-effectiveness of social services and allow the
provision of services which better meet the needs of senior citizens and their relatives
Another interesting case is A Book for a Roof which also targets a clearly defined type
of beneficiary namely homeless people It provides a well-defined social service offer -
ie ICT-training that improves homeless peoplesrsquo chances of finding a job It fosters
social inclusion and promotes the use of internet as an inclusion tool two innovative
components for homelessness services The initiative focuses on homeless peoplesrsquo
chances of re-engaging with the job market It helps them build a positive self-image a
challenge for one of the most complex socially-excluded population groups This initiative
seems to have an impact- albeit on a small-scale ndash on the complexity of needs that
causes homelessness with a simple but effective ldquoreciperdquo It invests in soft skills and
human relationships instead of giving financial or material support The philosophy
behind the initiative is that motivation and partnership can overcome the malfunctioning
or inadequacy of traditional systems This problem is particularly widespread in the
Central-Eastern European welfare states where social care and support are mainly based
on passive allocation of benefits This approach sometimes prevents vulnerable people
from reacting adequately in order to be socially included again
39
423 Open processes of co-creation and collaborative networks
Another group of initiatives focuses on open processes of co-creation and
collaborative innovation networks Their aim is to contribute to establishing new
types of relationships between community and institutions and to capitalize on
partnerships between the public and private sectors The use of information from
different sources for planning purposes is a common aspect of the initiatives belonging to
this group
EESTIEE (EE) for example offers a portal which provides services from various public
institutions through one single entry-point simplifying the administrative burden and
connecting entrepreneurs and citizens with institutions and private-sector entities such
as banks telecom providers and energy companies In this case the availability of
information is crucial for the provision of online procedures that enhance access to
services and participation in service delivery models
Like other initiatives in the Continental welfare model Little Bird (DE) and Pocircle Emploi
(FR) illustrate an extensive statutory social security system based on solidarity Little
Bird contributes to the goals of family-friendly policies that increase maternity and
paternity rights and offer a better work-life balance and easier access to childcare The
approach helps to match the childcare offer and demand by offering information and an
online search tool for parents looking for childcare and facilitating the administration of
childcare facilities for providers The creation of a simple online platform greatly
promoted engagement in civil society parents and providers and other relevant
operators are involved in a collaborative innovation network where they all proactively
develop implement and adopt this innovation by contributing their respective
knowledge Indeed in this open process of co-creation all stakeholders bring their
knowledge information experience and resources especially those that are relevant to
them since they are all direct beneficiaries
In Pocircle Emploi the transformative use of ICTs is apparent in the interactions between
jobseekers and counsellors ICTs are used to improve beneficiariesrsquo digital skills This
increases their employment opportunities and helps fight digital exclusion and social
isolation The Pocircle Emploi 100 Web initiative contributes to addressing policy goals
related to active inclusion strategies by promoting greater engagement of employers and
job seekers improving the quality of services provided and enhancing transparency in
processes and digital access to services
CBSS (BE) sought to address the problems arising from the lack of coordination and
integration of the information flows across different social security actors For example
an information burden is imposed on citizens and companies if they are required to
provide the same information several times It started as a coordinated information
management programme and led to the creation of a permanent and interoperable social
security network which includes all social security institutions operating in Belgium It
therefore acts as a public services integrator in the social security sector This has
allowed the reengineering and full automation of the social security organizational
processes for the benefit of the concerned institutions citizens and companies
W2W is another example of disruptive innovation which relies on the cooperation among
public institutions and private employment agencies The initiative profiles job demand
and supply better and thus creates opportunities which were not available before It has
enabled the co-design of a new set of employment services with shared funding and
shared governance The involvement of private operators in the delivery process is a
rather innovative approach for the Central-Eastern European welfare model where the
private sector has not traditionally played a pivotal role
40
5 Results from cross-case analysis
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems
The cross-case analysis has allowed us to gather insights into the contribution ICTs make
to the implementation of innovation in the social sector and to establish more
sustainable effective and accessible services The results achieved by these contributions
in turn affect the overall contribution ICTs could make to the implementation of the
Social Investment Package and the achievement of its policy goals and objectives
511 ICTs contribute to tackle emerging societal challenges
This section focuses on the enabling role of ICTs in achieving the necessary integration
at different levels This allows the redesign of services a new balance in the relationships
between private and public sector involved in the service delivery process an increase in
the transparency of processes and procedures that consume resources allocated to social
services better identification of individualsrsquo needs and better allocation of budgets
From the cross-case analysis we can see that ICTs play a crucial role in promoting social
innovation and social investment They enhance possible solutions to cope with global
trends which increase the complexity in the delivery of social services These trends are
summarised as follows
a) Supply and demand paradox
The crisis has left a lot of people in economic distress and at the same time public
budgets have been eroded Public administrations must reinvent their role within the
community as follows
Internally leveraging on the possibilities of achieving operational efficiency
(reengineering of production processes shifting resources from back office to
front office leveraging existing assets redefining services portfolios following
activity-based management principles etc)
Externally identifying synergies at inter-institutional level (with other public
agencies at local national and European level) investing in new cooperation with
other private providers at inter-sectoral level (eg intermediaries third sector
organizations academic researchers etc) designing public interventions in a
client-centred way (ldquoclient pathwayrdquo) independently of where the administrative
responsibility for the service lies
With regard to both trends ICTs help to free up resources which can then be reallocated
to processes and activities that create added-value They also play an enabling role in
establishing information exchange which fosters cooperation among different agencies
Rethinking service management and service delivery models to harness new technologies
and approaches and integrating service providers to gain efficiency help to close the
gap between supply and demand and between skillscapabilities and the broadening
range of demands
b) Empowerment of the individual
Global education and increasing awareness of civil rights and consequent responsibility
within communities empower citizens ICTs are helping to give individuals a more central
role in the decision making process They allow individuals to actively participate
through mechanisms such as co-design and co-development in the design and
development of social service models In this respect individuals are increasingly
knowledgeable about their needs and the contribution they can make as service
recipients to aligning social services with demand
41
Individuals play a crucial role in social innovation in both the planning and the delivery
phase They can co-develop service delivery models and assess the quality and
outcomes of the social services
ICTs can contribute to reshaping the ldquoprovider-recipientsrdquo paradigm in the social services
management and delivery model creating new social and economic values that can
counterbalance the decrease in resources The availability of clear trackable and
controlled information empowers individuals increases their awareness and their ability
to participate in the decision-making process Beneficiaries are better able to manage
their own care through the use of innovative platforms and web and mobile devices and
they are in fact becoming increasingly accustomed to these technologies
c) Economic inter-connectedness
International trade and capital flows call for a new way to identify and measure ldquovaluerdquo
In particular social benefits delivery across different Countries or regional systems can
produce overlaps and hamper efficiency and effectiveness when not managed
comprehensively The approach taken must consider all levels of delivery (local national
European) and needs to conceptualize the user in a global and inter-connected socio-
economic system
ICTs make it possible to take a lsquoclient pathwayrsquo approach which puts the beneficiaryrsquos
needs at the centre They improve strategic planning and systems integrity by sharing
information between different agencies Data analytics enable a better understanding of
service usage patterns system outcomes and resources available so they can be
targeted more efficiently and fraud or errors can be detected and countered
The new social value created must be analysed and understood through a common
approach so that it can be distributed fairly among the stakeholders involved
d) Demographic and urbanisation trends
The ageing population in Europe poses new challenges for healthcare welfare and
pension systems At the same time young people will have to be integrated into the
labour market and socially included Migration flows add to the challenge to promote an
inclusive society Moreover it is expected that by 2030 two thirds of the worldrsquos
population will live in cities creating more opportunities for social and economic
development for sustainable living but also increasing pressure on infrastructures and
social resources
Structural interventions are the main instruments to address these socio-demographic
megatrends Current social service systems can only expand to cope with the increasing
demand through a greater use of technologies These allow personalized support enable
independent living at home or in care facilities and help meet savings targets The
widespread use of the internet and of mobile computing devices for example allows
people to help themselves and also fulfils peoplesrsquo expectations in an always-on world
New technologies foster flexibility offer new collaborative working opportunities in
service delivery allow beneficiaries to play a more active role in the design and delivery
of services and make social services more affordable
The cases analysed show that ICTs have helped promote social innovation and social
investment They have also enabled the implementation of new approaches to service
management and delivery In particular ICT tools have been key success factors for
Integrating services We can conclude from our analysis that there is increasing
awareness of the need to integrate human resources and social services in order
to produce more effective solutions to many of the societal challenges For
example the INPS initiative integrated various systems and service models to
provide a single point of customer service through the implementation of a multi-
42
channel approach managed exclusively digitally This innovation in the service
delivery model reduces administrative costs and increases efficiency by
eliminating duplication in processes such as client authentication and verification
which is supported by the automation of these processes INPS also highlights
the need to further improve technological tools in order to expand the portfolio of
services eg by integrating mobile devices into the service model in order to
reach the overall target population PES is another good example of how an
administration (Dutch) can provide users with more effective services by
eliminating barriers to access and offering a more holistic and client-centric
approach This brings together different services to address critical employment-
related needs and builds a real-time labour market place enhancing the match
between labour demand and offer EKSOTE focuses on a new integrated
approach the aim of which is to centralise the allocation of resources on the basis
of the populationrsquos needs and to facilitate the access to services and the
transparency of the information management system particularly for older people
and long-term care patients Its holistic approach helped in the coordination of
welfare and social service public providers Finally TDP strengthens preventive
care beyond traditional hospital-based treatments and promotes full integration of
healthcare services rather than stand-alone or vertical services This approach
has resulted in significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of services
Public Private Partnership Models Our analysis shows that PPPs can lead to
cost efficiencies and help to cope with the need to reduce intervention by the
public sector The result is a better focus on core service components and greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment In the PASS experience a
needs-driven approach was implemented this approach provided new public
value re-allocation giving systematic information to agencies and operators
working with the homeless It led to greater efficiency while maintaining high
quality service delivery The ACTION initiative shows how a technology-based
home care service developed by a public-private partnership can leverage on the
use of ICTs and help older people live independently by empowering them
(through training and expert support) and their family carers It has been
successful in getting older people and their family carers to actively participate in
the initiative Little Bird is another example of a publicprivate partnership
which has reallocated the place of care to the family environment It has
generated benefits for both children and parents by establishing an interactive
process which maps the entire range of administrative functions involved in the
allocation of childcare services In addition the government and the private
entities involved have obtained significant cost savings on service provision
Enhancing accountability the effectiveness of protection system services can
be enhanced by strengthening financial and accounting systems in order to better
detect fraud and address inefficiencies CBSS has fully integrated the workflows of
around 3000 social security national institutions making the whole process
available online This provided single and fast access to all social services and
benefits for customers as well as infrastructure and systems to the involved
organisations which increased agility and data transparency One of the main
lessons learned in SDW relates to accountability it developed an integrated
electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social sector which
allowed social security offices access to all the information needed to calculate all
social security contributions This is used for tracking procedures and to avoid
irregularities
e) Case management
We found that services tailored to and assessed against the changing needs of clients
and care givers increases the cost-effectiveness of service management and delivery
process This approach safeguards the overall sustainability of the service in the mid to
43
long-term W2W and Pocircle Emploi focus on profiling capabilities and the expectations of
the unemployed They customize their support services to match job demands and
supply with surprising results in terms of labour inclusion and reduction in the
unemployment rate A Book for a Roof shows that the individualised management of
care initiatives has found new ways of dealing with homelessness It uses cultural
interventions and focuses on enhancing peoplersquos skills and the use of the internet as an
inclusive environment This approach has increased the motivation of homeless people to
be included in society
512 ICTs contribute establishing more effective and accessible services
This section focuses on the capacity of ICTs to enhance productivity in the care sector
achieve cost savings increase the overall quality of the services from the point of view of
the recipients and build a single-point of access to multiple services
ICTs can improve social service management and delivery models provide new or better
answers to social protection system challenges and needs of individuals establish new
relationships and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders Thus they can contribute
significantly to delivering the reforms needed for the modernisation of social protection
systems
ICTs have been used as enablers of new public management approaches They can
promote pluralistic models of public service provision delivered by business the non-
profit sector and government actors working together increasing the proximity of
services providers to citizens In this respect the cases analysed have revealed a
growing emphasis on the importance of cost freedom of choice and quality of service
provision Government is no longer considered to be the only provider but is instead
engaged in controlling and financing services through the separation of the political
decision-making processes from the management side This new perception of the role of
the public sector role allows services to be delivered by partnerships made up of a range
of public and private actors As a result there is a need for more articulated forms of
cooperation and coordination than inter-agency systems
From the cross-case analysis we can deduce that ICTs contribute to the modernisation
of the social protection system because they allow
More productive care services and cost saving The cases analysed provide
evidence that ICT-enabled social innovation takes the traditional concept of
innovation ndash ie innovation improves productivity and in turn leads to economic
growth (in terms of GDP) ndash one step further They expand this paradigm to a
more complex development model which becomes crucial especially when
considering all the negative externalities (eg unemployment environmental
risks social exclusion etc) that characterise the current development models
The analysed development model can be seen as a form of economic and social
development which implies the sustainable use of all resources Sustainability
seems to be achieved by applying business principles to develop solutions to
social problems and social demands In this framework ICTs have led to the
creation of new jobs and improved the inclusion of marginalized categories of the
population in a virtuous and sustainable socio-economic circle They have enabled
social investments and social innovation to realise their full potential producing a
considerable mid- to long-term impact on society as a whole The cost savings
made in service provision is also crucial if we measure the contribution of social
and health care services to wellbeing These cost savings contribute to increasing
the portfolio of services or improving quality of services which as a result answer
peoplersquos needs better and decrease the burden of social services on tax payers
W2W part of the UK Welfare-to-Work programme was implemented by the
Polish public sector (Polish Government of Malopolska Region) as part of their
employment services It provides good evidence of the potential of ICT to enable
44
the development of a new cooperation model between public labour services
social support institutions non-governmental organizations and non-public
operators The programme aims to design and test outsourcing employment
(back-to-work) services with an individualized and thus more effective approach
to engaging the unemployed This profiling approach has increased the efficiency
of public spending as payments are only made when specific outcomes are
achieved (payment by results) The platform tested by the regional government
of the Malopolska (Cracow) Region serves as a new model for engaging the long-
term unemployed it includes all the information needed to better profile the
unemployed and fill the gap between job demand and workforce Specific
attention is paid to the long-term unemployed for whom the mechanism allocates
more resources in recognition of the greater difficulties faced when trying to re-
enter the job market Different activities are carried out to upgrade the
candidatesrsquo profiles in order to make them more ldquoattractiverdquo for employers The
mechanisms used to monitor and control the success of the activities upon which
payments to actors are based is enabled by ICT tools SDW has also developed
an integrated electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social
sector It aims to make available all the information needed by the social security
offices to calculate all social security contributions This significant ICT-driven
change resulted in a radical transformation paper data exchange was eliminated
and replaced by direct electronic data flows The burden on the administration
was reduced and so was the opportunity for fraud Coordination between services
increased benefiting both citizens and the publicprivate institutions The strategy
focused on digital solutions as a means of increasing service capacity and value
for money through greater efficiency cooperation and knowledge sharing It
enabled communities families and individuals to contribute to the generation of
societal wellbeing Another example is provided by the TDP experience which
showed the large potential benefits related to the cost effectiveness of the care
service delivery process However due to actual reductions in the number of beds
in care homes closure of hospital wards and other not always implemented
service adjustments these efficiency gains did not result in cash savings
Nevertheless based on the lessons learned through the TDP experience a new 3
year Technology-Enabled Care Programme costing pound30m was launched across
Scotland in 2014 This programme aimed to broaden outcomes for individuals in
homes or community settings through the application of technology as an integral
part of quality cost-effective care and support
Enhancing the quality of care The cases analysed showed how ICTs can
contribute to higher quality of service provision They enhance the quality of life
of care recipients improving their health-related quality of life and their social
participation their self-esteem and empower them with better access to services
and multi-channelling approaches They also enhance the quality of life of
relatives and care givers enabling them to reduce the burden of care and
allowing them to reconcile care and work Thus they make social care closer to
the individualrsquos life conditions Finally they also have a positive impact on the
quality of services by facilitating information sharing allowing the use of data
analytics to customise the service delivered and to enhance knowledge skills and
competences In EKSOTE ICTs made an important contribution to the process of
integration of the public and private organizations involved in social care services
for the older population in a functional cost effective and user-oriented
approach The initiative took a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and prevention
approach to the care of older people at home giving them physical psychological
and sociocultural assistance The approach ensures that citizens have equal
access to social and health care services across the boundaries of municipalities
ICT made this initiative possible by integrating information across private and
public organizations along with the care service delivery process As a result the
criteria used to measure and assess needs has been standardised so that all
customers are treated equally in the assessment process This has allowed the
45
centralization of service needs assessment for the whole area by means of an
agile business process development approach This more efficient and
standardized process has given clients in the whole area better services and fairer
access to them Another good example of enhanced quality of care is ACTION
This initiative included remote provision of dedicated information and education
programmes which strengthen ability of older people and their relatives to care
for themselves and cope with the issues that typically arise for frail elderly
people Family carers received on-demand support through ICTs from local
service centres staffed with qualified professionals ICTs also supported
networking and mutual exchange between service users and facilitated the
sharing of information education and support to older people and their family
carers As a direct result the family carers felt more competent and secure in
their caring role and older people gained access to some of the opportunities
offered by todayrsquos information society In addition the service enhanced the
social inclusion of frail older people and their carers traditionally excluded from
the benefits of ICT and helped them gain more overall control over their own
lives enriching the caring relationship Finally professional carers experienced
improved job satisfaction and municipalities benefited from a more effective use
of available resources This was due to the multi-channel approach used to deliver
services which increased quality and led to a more efficient use of staffrsquos time In
the BSA initiative the integration between health and social care departments
was facilitated by the use of ICT through new approaches to service delivery
(such as telemonitoring and teleassistance) This shift from hospital-based or
residential assistance to forms of support at home resulted in considerable cost
reductions It increased the quality of life of both recipients and care givers and
gave rise to a more cost-effective model The change in citizensrsquo perceptions of
how public and private organizations should operate and contribute to wellbeing
had a great cultural impact which contributed to wellbeing promoting
commitment and reducing the digital divide in the district Another initiative
Little Bird addressed familiesrsquo needs to find a childcare service by optimising the
search facility on an ICT platform and providing organizational support to
childcare facilities By seeking to optimize the use of resources for both the
demand and supply side this ICT-based interactive process succeeded in mapping
the entire range of administrative functions used for the allocation of childcare
services This unique package of solutions offers advantages for parents who can
check online and in real-time all childcare services and availabilities From the
providersrsquo point of view the system allows them to predict the demand for their
services Finally public administrations also benefit from having an overview of
spare capacity or surplus demand in the childcare sector allowing them to better
tailor future policies The initiative offers a technical solution that allows more
integrated and cost-effective management of childcare services both public and
private This has contributed greatly to reducing externalities such as the child
care burden for families It has allowed them to increase their productivity and
achieve a better balance between family life work life and child care A book for
a roof finally shows how ICT can play a significant role in setting up a radically
new match between cultural investment and social need The use of ICT for
personal file management and profiling of competences and the use of internet as
an inclusive environment to involve homeless people enhancing their motivation
and increasing their chances of getting a job radically changed the existing
approach to homelessness problems It has therefore led to a paradigm shift in
the provision of social assistance services to the homeless
The set-up of one-stop-shop models Many of the cases analysed introduce
organizational models in which service users are provided with a single entry point
into social protection systems This simplifies organisation enhances service
delivery and boosts the uptake of services In many cases new models of service
provision have been developed which provide more accessible and user-friendly
information They improve the coordination among different levels of government
46
and reduce greatly the administrative burden on customers and providers We
identified several models from fully integrated and physically co-located services
to virtual information portals or frontlines of complex single agencies to umbrella
structures covering several agencies In some cases a single agency was created
to implement a ldquoone-stop shoprdquo offering a wide portfolio of services to its
customers for example INPS This organisation aims to optimise resources for
the entire portfolio of services (including social benefits and pensions) through
digital channels (amongst others the ldquocontact centrerdquo) It developed a completely
new service delivery model which allowed ldquoone shop stoprdquo access to services and
the continuous tracking and monitoring of ongoing service requests The initiative
produced positive outcomes for the Italian population as whole thanks to a
reduction in the payment of undue benefits and the increased transparency and
accountability of the overall system which allows requests and services to be
tracked With respect to public administration effectiveness the digitalisation of
services through INPS allowed the integration of initiatives with other public
operators in the welfare sector and with private intermediaries which avoided
overlaps and helped to optimize the use of public resources for the benefit of the
citizens INPS decreased the workload and made savings of around 1000 FTEs
thereby reducing the public administrationrsquos spending In other cases more
complex structures have been introduced for instance when the one-stop-shop
operates on top of partner organizations Here the aim is to maximize the
convenience also for clients of all other partners by integrating services eg
through intra-governmental partnerships This is the case of EESTIEE and CBSS
In EESTIEE ICTs have been used to build Estoniarsquos information gateway This
complex one-stop-shop mechanism for the provision of online procedures and
information has also fostered technical collaboration between different authorities
ICTs played a key role in the promotion of an extensive digitalisation of public
procedures and had a profound impact on Estoniarsquos operational and administrative
model It also changed the way business was promoted and supported As a
result users gained greater access and the system achieved greater efficiency
Transaction costs and duplication were reduced for citizens providers and
government alike ICTs changed the relationships between government and
citizens and other relevant stakeholders and led to the digital transformation of
public services They also transformed the way services were delivered The CBSS
case helps us understand how the introduction of a one-stop shop to implement
electronic service delivery can lead to a structural reform process In this
particular case ICTs transformed the delivery of social security services by
initiating a business reengineering process within and across all the 3000
organizations involved in the Belgian social security system At the same time
back-office functions were automatized significantly and this reduced the
duplication of information which was significant because of the sheer number of
social security actors The new ICT-based system significantly increased the re-
use of information and made it possible to send responses to beneficiaries and
civil servants automatically This led to a considerable simplification of procedures
and introduced a new more integrated and personalised way of communicating
with citizens and companies which is better aligned with the needs of the final
users
In a more specific field ndash that of unemployment ndash two other one-stop-shop approaches
provide good evidence on how ICTs can contribute to the modernisation of social
protection systems Pocircle Emploi and PES
Pocircle Emploi shows that by placing innovation at the centre of the reform of social
services structural improvements and sustainable outcomes can be achieved This
initiative fully digitalised the support services offered to jobseekers in order to bring them
closer to the labour market Pocircle Emploi improved its web-platform and developed free
online services for the matching of CVs and job offers e-counselling e-training etc
47
that can be accessed by any jobseeker or enterprise The impact achieved in terms of
facilitating access and take-up of employment services and meeting job-seekers
expectations and needs has been remarkable ICTs played a crucial role in this initiative
It developed a platform capable of providing a centralised and secure database of
unemployment information and it became an aggregator of labour market policies and
initiatives The Pocircle Emploi website is now the leading job site in France in terms of
number of users Its success is the reason for the subsequent launch of an ambitious
policy around big data for policy support
In the PES case ICTs have also played a vital role especially in targeting and identifying
final beneficiaries more effectively They have increased the value of employment-related
interventions and trust in government ICTs have led to more inclusive labour markets
and fostered self-employment especially via job market intermediaries They support
social inclusion employment and more general civil engagement activities which target
disadvantaged groups eg the disabled young people and people at risk of poverty and
social exclusion The one-stop shop developed in PES takes a revolutionary approach It
encourages more individuals to actively participate in the labour market and interact with
the government online by giving them the opportunity to use multiple delivery channels
and at times more convenient for them In this case ICTs have brought key benefits to
all stakeholders involved in public employment services and social services provision by
introducing a new optimised online system 90 of the services are delivered via digital
means and through digital interaction In this Dutch initiative digital platforms have
transformed many of the traditional interactions addressing the needs of job seekers
the young the disabled unemployed and employersrsquo requirements and especially setting
up partnerships with municipalities and empowering other social services
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success
Our cross-case analysis identified many innovation elements as key factors which could
in principle determine the achievement of relevant results and therefore the overall
success of an initiative These are briefly explained in this section
521 Active involvement of beneficiaries improves services delivery
Active involvement of beneficiaries and end users is crucial not only during the design
and implementation phases of the initiative but also in the continuous improvement of
the services delivered Mechanisms have been implemented for discussing and
monitoring results and for capturing information on customeruser satisfaction which
allow service providers to better address the needs of users In order to ensure easy
accessibility and usability of services complementary services and training programmes
have been provided These ensure that less technologically advanced users can reap the
benefits from the new service provision A good example is EESTIEE which built an
open process of co-creation and a collaborative innovation network between public
agencies and beneficiaries in an extensive reshaping of the relationships between
community and institutions TDP committed its national health system stakeholders to
rigorous collaboration which caused a fundamental change in their relationships CBSS is
another example of the involvement of beneficiaries which allowed both cross-sectoral
integration between public and private institutions and actors and vertical integration
among national regional and local administrations In terms of civil society
engagement Little Bird involved parents families and providers in the co-design
development and fine tuning of the solution it offered W2W used ICTs to redesign
employment policies and services provision with the cooperation of operators the
information they provided and their interaction with job seekers A similar approach was
followed by Pocircle Emploi which centralised unemployment information with secure
access aggregating and matching labour market supply and demand while supporting
beneficiaries with guided tutoring activity
48
522 Partnership and commitment at different levels are key
Another element of success across the initiatives analysed has been the involvement of
stakeholders representing different social needs and roles Their contribution of
knowledge information experience and resources of different kinds and from different
sources has allowed the definition of innovative solutions The engagement of
stakeholders at different levels was achieved not only because they were committed to
the implementation of the activities but also because it was in some cases the basis for
joint financing of the initiative itself The type of stakeholders identified in the cases
studied included beneficiaries (eg employed and unemployed people older people the
disabled the homeless etc) carers and families private and public service providers
(eg public authorities labour agencies libraries labour market consultants etc)
innovators and researchers (eg universities entrepreneurs and other private service
developers) health and social care professionals trainers and teachers non-profit
organisations (eg carer and patient organisations volunteer organisations trade
associations unions etc) and volunteers A very good example of commitment between
stakeholders at different levels is the INPS initiative which built a new model of service
delivery based on the synergies of different operators This led to a disruptive change in
service delivery through a multi-channel approach where all kinds of stakeholders
played a role including beneficiaries intermediaries and public institutions ACTION
benefitted from the close cooperation between service recipients developers and the
municipality which was of crucial importance for the initial implementation of the service
as well as for the later expansion of the ICT-based intervention which targeted clients
and their families at home PES created a real time labour market which benefitted from
the partnership between job seekers private providers and labour agencies at different
levels contributing to a fundamental change to the traditional services delivery EKSOTE
used the organizational integration of the providers to build a common access point for
users Finally BSA was made possible by cross-sectoral cooperation between social and
health care sectors providers and between providers recipients and caregivers
523 Developing a policy framework to support sustainability is needed
Political commitment andor a policy and regulatory context conducive to the
development and use of ICTs in social services are important enabling factors they
facilitate the success of the initiative and increase its chances of becoming sustainable
In most of the cases analysed policy programmes provided medium- to long-term
funding for the implementation of the initiatives This encouraged the creation of lasting
partnerships accelerated the decision-making process and facilitated the scaling up of
the outcomes achieved TDP for example was able to provide evidence about the
significant potential benefits of a more cost-effective care service delivery process
thanks to the Scottish Governmentrsquos commitment and financing in conjunction with the
National Health care system in Scotland In addition the adoption of a 3 year pound30m
Scotland-wide programme to support a new Technology-Enabled Care Programme
supported further development based on the lessons learned in the TDP experience
W2W is another example of how political commitment coupled with a European policy
which provides funding opportunities allowed the launch of a pilot and helped to
mainstream the service tested Thanks to the commitment of the Central Government
which is considering the potential inclusion of W2W as a model in the forthcoming Labour
Act the service may be transferred to national level In SDW the Danish Government
the local government and the Danish regions accelerated the digital transformation of
some core services in the healthcare sector and identified a number of projects and
initiatives for wider implementation This was facilitated by the national policy framework
in place Finally A book for a roof was supported politically and financially by the EIFL
Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and subsequent contributions from
various public institutions like the Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) and the Zagreb City
Council
49
524 Simplification and automation facilitate access to services
Generally the adoption of new technologies has simplified access to services and the
automation of processes which were traditionally based on a direct relationship between
providers and users The cases analysed contribute to the evidence base which shows
that the digital transformation of services has led to a reduction of the administrative
burden by offering more channels to deliver services increasing the transparency of
management flows and identifying needs and rights more clearly This transformation
also offers users greater autonomy in their use of the services It also reduces the time
and resources they need to engage with services and generally improves their
perceptions of service quality In the case of INPS this process resulted in a general
improvement of the image of public institutions among citizens cost savings and a more
diversified service offer by shifting resources to front-desk activities The adoption of
innovative technological solutions has been well received in the cases analysed partly
because it offers complementary services to support less technologically advanced users
and thus reduces the risk of digital exclusion This is the case of Pocircle Emploi EKSOTE
SDW and ACTION where the simplification and automation processes were implemented
together and intensive training was given to beneficiaries families and caregivers
Finally PASS shows how a transformative innovation which focused initially on the
simplification of procedures and automation processes radically modified the existing
mechanisms of services provision First the delivery of services to citizens was improved
by ensuring that resources were used effectively reducing duplication and fostering the
cooperation of different agencies to provide a continuum of care In turn this promoted
social responsibility pro-active participation and engagement in local communities
525 Electronic exchange of information enables service integration
The case studies show that a critical success factor for social innovation is the integration
of services at both management and delivery level The centralised provision of secure
information about beneficiary needs rights and benefits received has been crucial to
the integration between different providers This integration has allowed the
restructuring of procedures in a client-pathway approach and the provision of a single
entry point for users Shared information systems facilitate the interactions between
actors at various levels of governance (ie collaboration across multiple levels of
government) which in turn facilitate the cross-disciplinary management of different
social areas Information systems integration was generally achieved through the
implementation of progressive database integration coordinated case management and
exchange of data through multiple channels This process allows a more holistic and
client-centric approach that brings multiple services to bear on client needs In PASS
the information exchange between operators was enabled by a system that provided a
more sophisticated and up-to-date way of collecting key information about homeless
services and service take-up In TDP the sharing of information allowed providers to
mainstream telecare services in a number of local partnerships and to integrate health
and social care organisation in the services delivery INPS is a key example of how the
integration of information and its management resulted in huge and pervasive synergies
among public and private operators This led to a comprehensive redesign of service
management and provision in a more client-centred approach
526 Monitoring implementation is crucial to demonstrate results
Our analysis shows that the presence of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating
results has been an important element for the success of the initiatives analysed These
mechanisms permit the early identification of any concerns about the use of the services
Monitoring tools can check the direction taken during the implementation phase They
can also help to address emerging issues so that corrective measures can be taken to re-
calibrate the intervention to answer needs adequately Customer Relationship
Management tools measure customer satisfaction and capture usersrsquo perceptions with
50
respect to the services offered In some of the cases analysed some internal and
external evaluations were carried out The evidence provided highlighted the value of
collecting data on impacts and outcomes of the initiatives An interesting example in this
respect is W2W which developed a monitoring methodology It connected payments
made to labour agencies by the public authorities to outcomes This model also
implemented more effective and convincing dissemination activities which enhanced
awareness of the benefits of the initiative Furthermore in the BSA case an ICT tool was
used by all professionals and social workers to monitor in real time whether activities
programmed for each beneficiary actually took place This tool was also useful for the
payment system as external providers could use it to issue their bills to the BSA
organization Other relevant examples are CBSS PES and PASS CBSS developed tools
to provide statistics and other relevant information on the performance of the Social
Security system in a more comprehensive centralized way PES launched a methodology
to cluster and measure specific labour market data in order to carry out benchmarking
and ldquowhat ifrdquo analyses PASS developed tools to provide statistics to projects about
individual clients and the work of the project as a whole helping the future service
development plan
53 Evidence of impact on service integration
All the initiatives analysed have significant levels of integration of services
procedures sources of funding etc Most of them have achieved a high degree of
integration in many areas often both at the delivery system level and from an
organizational perspective for example the large scale initiatives such as INPS PES
PASS SDW BSA and TDP All these initiatives have had an impact on the service
management system from the identification of the various needs through production to
the channels of distribution In some cases there has been an impact on the promotion
and funding of the services Hence there is strong evidence for integration at many
different levels and in different areas
Even in those case studies where there seems to be less or no horizontal integration it is
possible to appreciate other forms or types of service integration This is particularly true
in EESTIEE Little Bird and Book for a Roof where the impact has been on a specific
aspect of service management eg administrative funding organizational or delivery
system Funding or administrative integration seems to be common in Continental
countries but less common in Central-Eastern welfare systems In contrast in the
Mediterranean Anglo-Saxon and Nordic groups of initiatives integration seems to
happen mostly at the organizational and delivery system levels
Nevertheless all the initiatives have achieved some level of integration by optimising
procedures and processes and in terms of the relationships with other operators and
stakeholders whose involvement has been redefined Most of the initiatives have
achieved inter-sectoral integration by improving coordination of the different operators
both private and public and a clearer definition of their respective roles in the production
and delivery of services especially through innovative public-private partnerships
Though the role played by the private sector in Mediterranean and Continental welfare
systems is not traditionally very proactive we found most cases of inter-sectoral
integration among these groups of countries For instance private operators participate
strongly and actively in the new service delivery models of INPS BSA Pocircle Emploi and
CBSS The role of private operators is crucial even when the initiative is driven mainly by
the public sector Similarly among the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries initiatives
private organisations (both for profit and not-for-profit) are strongly involved In these
cases (eg TDP and PASS) however they play a much more proactive role in service
design W2W the Polish case which adopted a British experience also falls into this
group
51
In the integration process ICTs are clearly an enabling factor which helps to leverage
the various types of information collected provide more targeted answers to the actual
needs of citizens and support the overall governance of the social services sector The
initiatives analysed show that the use of ICTs can enable intermediary operators social
workers and formal carers to play a central andor leading role thus contributing to
greater involvement of citizens in social services management The role of ICTs as
enabling factor was observed in nearly all the initiatives analysed where thanks to ICTs
volunteers and informal carers are playing a more important role regardless of the
welfare model in which the initiatives take place This suggests that it is a common trait
of all social innovation processes
An overview of the main social innovation elements identified in the 14 cases is
presented in Table 6 This table also shows the targeted beneficiaries and the main type
of integration achieved or pursued for each of the initiatives selected
52
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
A Book for a Roof (Croatia) Homeless people Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production A Book for a Roof invested in the employability and inclusion of the homeless by enhancing their skills improving their self-image and helping them build
self-confidence
Funding A Book for a Roof benefitted from an initial grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and built a
partnership with 8 other partners including the Zagreb Council which allowed gaining financial and operational support
ACTION (Sweden) Family carers and the older people
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production ACTION is a need-driven outcome-oriented production approach which developed a new service delivery system to support frail older people and their carers in their own homes with ICTs
Delivery system The initiative allowed a change in the delivery of services using ICTs to support clients in their families and homes
BSA (Spain) All social andor healthcare services recipients within the BSA territory
Public value allocationor reallocation Badalona City Council triggered the integration of health and social departments and sectors in the Badalona area using a userpatient-centric approach
Service Delivery BSA achieved the full integration of health and social care departments organizational structures service delivery models and funding schemes through an Integrated Care Plan which puts patient and users at the centre of the service production process It is a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and social services delivery
CBSS (Belgium) Social security institutions citizens companies intermediaries
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks The combination of back-office integration and ePortal solution developed through close collaboration among the about 3000 social security institutions in Belgium allowed both cross-sectorial
integration between public and private institutions and vertical integration of national-regional-local administrations
Organizational CBSS fostered an intensive collaboration among different operators and led to the development of a network for electronic information exchange addressing social security service delivery
EESTIEE (Estonia) Citizens foreigners national agencies
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks EESTIEE set up a collaborative innovation network between public agencies and private operators providing information assisting citizens and reshaping the relationships between community and institutions
Administrative EESTIEE fostered a huge administrative and organizational redesign of the public service delivery model and provided users with a unique access point
EKSOTE (Finland) Older people and long-term care patients welfare and social service public providers
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production EKSOTE launched a new need-driven integrated approach which facilitates access to services and increases the transparency of the information management system
Organizational The initiative enabled the organisational integration of the providers and provided a common access point for clients
INPS (Italy) Unions intermediaries employment agencies healthcare professionals and Local Health Units (ASL) municipalities regions citizens
Public value allocationor reallocation The process started with a shift towards a need drivenoutcome oriented service production but led to a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Delivery system The initiative led to a complete redesign of the production process (organisational integration) and structural changes to the delivery system
53
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
Little Bird (Germany) Children and parents Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Little Bird promotes engagement in civil society parents and providers together with other relevant actors are involved in a collaborative innovation network to improve childcare facilities management
Delivery system Little Bird led to a new organizational support that provides childcare social service delivery process tackling the challenge of optimizing the use of resources while supporting both the parents and the municipalities
PASS (Ireland) Homeless people homeless agencies
Public value allocationor reallocation PASS was a revolutionary need-driven outcome-oriented production approach in which outcomes are intended to meet the needs of society or specific groups in society in a sustainable way It led to new public value re-allocation providing systematic information to agencies and operators in the field of homelessness allowing them to better plan and act
Organizational The initiative gave rise to a new organizational model involving public and private operators in the field and redesigned the services production process
PES (Netherlands) Job seekers (with focus also on disabled people) employers people on benefits
Need-drivenoutcome oriented production The PES NL reform is a need-driven ICT enabled initiative implementing the employee insurance scheme addressing unemployment workersrsquo rights maternity and sickness coverage
Organizational PES NL created a real time labour market place improving the matching between labour demand and offer through a new organizational channel
Pocircle Emploi (France) The unemployed job seekers public employment service organisations
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Pocircle Emploi developed a centralised and secure information system for unemployment data in order to become an aggregator of labour market players policies and initiatives
Delivery system Pocircle Emploi allowed extensive data collection and interchange among different operators public and private delivering a new approach for job matching
SWD (Denmark) Welfare benefit recipients
mainly the older people social and health services and education recipients
Public value allocation or reallocation
The strategy focused on digital solutions and means to rethink the service production process and increase service strategy to produce value for money and a better allocation within communities families and among individual with needs
Organisational
The Danish Strategy for Digital Welfare modernised public service production to ensure a more efficient and effective provision of public sector services by accelerating the take-up of ICT in frontline public services
TDP (Scotland) Older people in Scotland suffering from conditions like chronic diseases cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
Public value allocationor reallocation The TDP was a national government initiative implemented in rigorous collaboration with the Scottish national health system which developed an integrated care approach with its own funds and resources It provided a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Organizational The TDP led to structural changes in the entire health care system of Scotland both in terms of organization and funding sources
W2W (Poland) Employment agencies the unemployed
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Express Train to Employment used ICTs to redesign the employment policies and services provision in an integrated way with the cooperation of institutions private operators and job seekers
Organizational Express Train to Employment used ICTs used ICT to enable PPP (public-private partnership) through a technological platform where all the actors could share information update data and co-design unemployed services parameters
Source Internal IESI elaboration
54
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives
541 General overview
Many of the 14 initiatives analysed relate to the key SIP objectives in that that they
often have an impact on the modernisation of social protection system through the
integration of service delivery Some examples are INPS BSA ACTION and Pocircle
Emploi Our analysis suggests that delivery of social protection systems is the main area
of modernisation and that it is where most disruptive innovations are found This is
apparent in the initiatives from the Mediterranean and Continental welfare models where
the public sector has played a central role in service management and delivery However
this role has become unsustainable because of the need to reduce public spending and
the increasing complexity of service demand The Continental modelrsquos centralized
approach to service delivery and the unbalanced way different social needs are met by
public services in the Mediterranean model are both issues which have been targeted by
recent welfare reforms Creative ways to cope with decreasing social spending and the
need to improve efficiency had to be found
Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries are focusing on social inclusion strategies Social
services initiatives in these countries are organised around the individual and hisher
capacity to continue contributing to society This is the case with TDP EKSOTE and
ACTION where social investments are directed at redesigning or reengineering services
in order to improve quality of life The Nordic welfare model rests on principles of
solidarity equality and a universalistic approach to welfare service provision Besides the
provision of fundamental social services to all citizens this model is characterized by
strong community involvement and the search for collaborative solutions to the needs of
very specific categories of people (in the above cases older people) Furthermore the
initiatives belonging to the Anglo-Saxon models though driven by a more liberal
approach to service delivery provide services for social categories which are excluded or
at risk of exclusion This is the case of TDP for older people in Scotland and PASS for the
homeless in Ireland W2W is also a good illustration of this in Poland where the
experience in the UK has been reproduced This shows that experiences from different
welfare models can be adapted and tailored to the circumstances in other welfare
models
Last but not least ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs
at critical moments during their lives seems to be a key target of the Central-Eastern
European initiatives we have analysed In these cases the post-communist approach to
social policies led to a situation in which people relied heavily on welfare policies although
the system was unable to respond adequately to the needs This may explain why
initiatives in this welfare model tend to be small scale or based on the involvement of the
private sector with the help of EU Funds For example of A Book for a Roof targets the
homeless and W2W the unemployed as mentioned above Further initiatives belonging
to the Continental welfare model like CBSS and Little Bird seem to focus mainly on the
needs of people in critical moments in their lives However these have been developed in
the wider context of social investment policies which aim to address wider ranging
problems such as childcare throughout Germany and social security in Belgium
Table 7 below provides an overview of the relationships between the initiatives and the
main SIP objectives
55
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives
Contribution to SIP Objectives
Modernizing social protection systems Spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
Implementing active inclusion strategies Investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the labour market
Investing in individuals throughout their life Ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
A Book for a Roof (Croatia)
A book for a Roof combined employment information management and technology (ICT) training to bring homeless people into the labour market
A book for a Roof helps job seekers improve their skills and boosts their motivation through psycho-social support As a result social protection services are able to respond to homeless people at critical moments in their lives
ACTION (Sweden) ACTION allowed a new approach to services through telematics interventions at home promoting more inclusiveness of older people and their families
BSA (Spain) BSA consisted in a great innovation in the social protection system especially concerning health and social care services since it integrated the two aspects under a unique beneficiary-oriented approach producing savings and improving the quality of services
The main aim of BSArsquos Integrated Care Plan is to empower people especially the older people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at home It also helped improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers
BSArsquos integration initiative was triggered by the need to shift from the older paradigm in the delivery service model to a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of worsening of chronicity and other conditions and following the individuals throughout their entire life also thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as tele-monitoring and telecare
CBSS (Belgium) CBSS provided socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have reduced to a minimum the administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
CBSS fully integrated the work flows of 3000 social security institutions guaranteeing on-line management of the whole processes and a unique and fast access to all social rights and benefits
EESTIEE (Estonia) By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies EESTIEE led to the reshaping of the public model to produce and deliver services with a more effective and centralised approach
EKSOTE (Finland) EKSOTE led to the organizational integration of providers and a common access point for clients enabling a more adequate service provision
EKSOTE provided equal access to social and health care services to all citizens in its region of operation across the boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care processes according to which the same electronic patient record system is used in the health care centres and hospitals of all communities belonging to the organization
INPS (Italy) The process of computerization of services resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
The digitalisation of services changed the paradigm for the delivery service model which shifted towards a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to peoples changing needs
56
Source IESI internal elaboration
Little Bird (Germany)
Little Bird provided a safe and convenient solution in the region it operates in across the boundaries of municipalities for the search for allocation and management of childcare services
Little Bird facilitated equal access to early childhood education through an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services
PASS (Ireland) PASS allowed a better inclusion of homeless people redesigned the production process of services improving the integration opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of this category of fragile people
PASS allowed a better outcome-oriented service production which meets the needs of the homeless and is managed in a centralised and more integrated way
PES (Netherlands)
The initiative allowed to cluster information of the labour market at a macro-level and take into account each regionallocal labour market peculiarities producing more efficient results at all PES levels and better outcomes for job seekers
PES allowed to meet critical employment needs building a real time labour market place enhancing the matching between labour demand and offer
Pocircle Emploi (France)
Pocircle Emploi has established itself as coordinator of French initiatives intermediation and an aggregator of other market players enhancing the effectiveness of the employment support
Pocircle Emploi personalized the employment support services improving the job demand and offer matching and aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations employers or business organizations
SDW (Denmark) SDW accelerated the use of ICT and welfare technology in frontline public service delivery with concrete initiatives speeding up the use of efficient and effective digital and technological solutions in healthcare care for the elderly social services and education
TDP (Scotland) TDP improved the inclusion of older people and
their families investing in the capacity of people suffering from conditions like chronic disease cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
TDP produced a structural change in the entire
health care system of Scotland demonstrating how telecare could contribute to the safety and quality of life of older people while significantly reducing costs of health and social care
W2W (Poland) W2W improved the mechanisms to reduce unemployment rates achieve sustainable employment and established partnerships in order to identify synergies and effective and pervasive solutions
W2Wrsquos centralized management of information flows allowed categorizing the employment needs in order to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in the labour market
57
542 Impact on the modernisation of social protection systems
In order to assess how and to what extent the selected initiatives contribute to the
modernisation of welfare systems we have grouped and analysed them in relation to the
following three key areas of welfare
Social security and employment which includes social assistance social care
employment and employability
Social inclusion and participation which includes social inclusion social
housing civic engagement education and training and childcare
Active healthy ageing and care which includes integrated health and social
care prevention health promotion and rehabilitation independent living
a) Impact of the cases on social security and employment
Out of the 14 initiatives analysed 6 implemented changes in social security and
employment as shown in Table 8 below
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment
Initiatives Summary of impact
INPS (IT) PES (NL)
These two initiatives have transformed employment and the delivery of benefit services to those underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient manner (almost all the services are delivered using digital means) Their revolutionary approach allows more individuals to actively participate interact with the government online giving them the chance to use multiple delivery channels with more convenient timeframes
SDW (DK) CBSS (BE)
Thanks to ICTs CBSS and SDW have built a unique information management model which allows carrying out historical and prospective analyses and therefore improving policies and regulations
W2W (PL) Pocircle Emploi (FR)
W2W and Pocircle Emploi have developed innovative competences and job potential profiling tools based on the use of extensive information which allow better assessing actual needs and thus improving the matching between job seekers and employers
Source IESI internal elaboration
Social security and employment refers to the provision of social services and benefits to
support citizens who are unable to meet their most fundamental needs by themselves
This includes their ability to be active on the labour market and receiving a decent
income which allows them to preserve their dignity
The 6 initiatives that have an impact in this area are citizen-centric and propose radical
changes in the approach to social services design and delivery These are the two key
interrelated elements of a new and more sustainable welfare system These initiatives
trigger a review of the portfolio of services offered in order to adapt them to existing and
upcoming societal challenges and reduce public spending
This can be seen very clearly in the initiatives in the Mediterranean and Continental
welfare models where a trend towards more equitable treatment and more
publicprivate partnerships reveals an important cultural change Nevertheless the
initiatives implemented in the Anglo-Saxon group of countries also show a strong focus
on change for instance with the greater implementation of one-stop-shop approaches
Existing approaches to implementing new models of management of social security
services have been rethought in order to improve critical aspects of existing delivery
systems
58
The issues that these initiatives tackle include
The lack of a systematic and comprehensive vision in the relevant social
services legislation
The fragmentation of the actors and institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the regulation financing and delivery of services
The low level of technological innovation in the management of data and
relevant information
The lack of integration between the institutional players in charge of providing
social services and the beneficiaries
The demand for better quality which requires services to bring true added-
value
Reshaping the way services to citizens are produced managed and distributed is
common to all these initiatives It involves extensive integration mainly within public
administrations but also with private operators and intermediaries Most initiatives in this
cluster are led by public sector actors and focus on a thorough rethinking of the delivery
model which leads to a reengineering of the services alongside a revision of the
governance model
The initiatives represent radicaltransformative innovations which by leveraging on ICTs
modify the existing mechanisms of services provision and lead to a paradigm shift that
reframes the nature of the specific problems to be addressed and their possible solutions
Most of the initiatives focus on changing the service provision paradigm to adopt a more
client-centric approach often through the use of one-stop-shops They all seek to
improve access to services distribute resources more fairly and reduce the
administrative burden on users of the service
In all these initiatives ICTs have contributed strongly to inter-sectoral integration They
foster collaboration between government and service delivery providers in the private or
non-for-profit sectors through the shared use of well-structured technological tools The
new model implemented by the initiatives is based on the development of client
pathways which aim to improve service access ensure greater accountability and
transparency in the system as a whole and allow citizens to have greater control over
information that concerns them
The new service delivery model allows one-stop shop access to services fosters the
modernisation of processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services
and allows the continuous tracking and monitoring of service demand In these cases
ICT-enabled social innovation can act as an enabling factor For example ICTs can help
us obtain a complete and more systematic understanding of social security needs and
support e-learning services Thus they can help to improve the employability of an
individual over time andor to improve the integration of the back offices of
organizations in charge of managing social benefits
In some cases ICTs play a game changing role as they enable the integration of
information from different sources which fulfils profiling needs much more accurately
Thus it is possible to customize the service delivered which optimizes both outcome and
citizen satisfaction By allowing better targeting and identifying beneficiaries more
effectively ICTs play a huge role in increasing the value of interventions and citizensrsquo
trust in government Furthermore ICT-based solutions also support social policy reforms
by promoting active inclusion in the labour market
b) Impact of the cases on social inclusion and participation
Another 4 initiatives out of our case selection focused on social inclusion and participation
as shown in Table 9 overleaf
59
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation
Initiative Summary of impact
Little Bird (DE)
PASS (IE)
Little Bird and PASS use ICTs to enhance the modernisation of
social services from several perspectives amongst others better synchronization of the public and private offer of services greater cost-effectiveness reduction of overbooking of services and at the same time reduction of the negative externalities affecting care givers due to the lack of solutions to reconcile family life social inclusion and wellbeing
A book for a roof (HR)
In A book for a roof ICT courses are used to provide homeless with a wider set of competences and to boost their self-esteem as well as to encourage take-up of available public social services The library created a Resource Centre in the shelter now staffed by homeless people The use of ICT allows focusing on the potential of homeless people and training them to become trainers for other people in need
EESTIEE (EE) In EESTIEE ICTs support citizens by enhancing their access to and use of information and services enabling self-help and reducing dependency from the state giving individuals access to both broader contacts and the local services to which they are entitled
Source IESI internal elaboration
The above social inclusion initiatives mainly target disadvantaged groups or people at risk
(eg the disabled people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in general) These
interventions aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to social inclusion by supporting
individuals They help disadvantaged people reach or maintain a higher level of social
inclusion and dignity while reducing the burden on caregivers In general the needs
addressed in this social policy area derive from a complex set of problems that require
the simultaneous provision of structural solutions and first-aid interventions cutting
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
The initiatives in this cluster offer a set of solutions based on a case-management
approach They focus on the provision of quality information and on helping all operators
involved (public and private) understand analyse and better answer the needs of
excluded people through the use of real-time information technology All the initiatives
analysed improve service delivery thanks to a shared information system This facilitates
the interaction of operators and citizens improves the efficiency of services through
more effective use of resources and less duplication of effort and facilitates the
cooperation of all operators who can work together better to provide a continuum of
care
ICT-enabled social innovations in these cases play several roles They enable services to
improve the cost-effectiveness of the collaboration and coordination of the public and
private actors involved in service delivery processes (in these initiatives those
stakeholders which are more aware of the needs of the vulnerable people play an
important role in partnerships) ICTs also act as game-changers by helping public and
private service providers understand the behaviour of people with needs This in turn
serves to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery
model Moreover ICTs provide stakeholders with new channels of effective
communication and new ways of interacting This also includes the beneficiaries which
increases their opportunities for social inclusion reduces the risk of isolation and
increases the opportunities to contribute to society ICT per se can also be a tool for
inclusion For example A Book for a Roof targets vulnerable people who are also
digitally excluded The lack of digital skills exacerbates existing social disadvantages
(Ellen J Helsper 2008) The initiative is structured around the strong belief that access to
computers the Internet and other forms of technology has a significant impact on these
peoplersquos chances of finding a job or building a social network
60
c) Impact of the cases on active and healthy ageing
The main focus of three of the cases we analysed was active and healthy ageing (see
Table 10 below)
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing
Initiative Summary of impact
TDP (Scotland) EKSOTE (FI) ACTION (SE)
In TDP EKSOTE and ACTION ICTs play a crucial role for monitoring activities (automatic data detention and information about health status) and for real time interactions with beneficiaries providing advisory services at home to prevent adverse events and unplanned hospitalizations The disruptive transformation of the care processes allows home care treatments for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF etc) and ageing patients in general Formal and informal care givers can benefit from using such innovations which promote self-management and empower users in the process of shifting the balance in terms of control and increasing the capacity to live independently at home
BSA (ES) In BSA ICTs allowed building the electronic record that gathers all the documents containing relevant information about the status and progress of a patient during the care process Thanks to the interoperability between information systems it eliminated the duplication of diagnostic tests The result is a tool for professionals which provides updated relevant information to guide them in the decision making process (it is also a useful database accessible from any location and care level) therefore promoting continuity of care and coordination between primary and specialised care IT also fosters the development of telemedicine and telecare services
Source IESI internal elaboration
Consideration of active and healthy ageing and healthcare is crucial in view of the
challenges posed by ageing societies to the current set-up of public services delivery The
IESI research has analysed the themes of ldquoIndependent living for older peoplerdquo
ldquoIntegrated health and social carerdquo and ldquoPrevention health promotion and rehabilitationrdquo
demonstrating the great potential ICT-enabled social innovation has in these fields
The three initiatives analysed here adopt new approaches to public services design and
implementation and follow the recent trends in the efforts made by Member States to
deal with growing societal challenges It has become increasingly difficult to match
service demand and supply adequately and there is constant pressure to achieve greater
cost-effectiveness reduce public expenditures for social services and improve
stakeholder participation in the service delivery process These new initiatives illustrate
the paradigm shift towards more proactive public interventions and social policies They
seem to confirm that the social innovation potential offered by the integration of services
plays an important role in reshaping social relationships and collaboration and in the
redesign of care processes In this context citizens and patients experience significant
changes in their roles and relationships with care professionals service providers care
givers etc
In these cases ICTs can drive the organizational transformation of service delivery The
main advantages of this transformation consist in the building of synergies among
services the avoidance of overlaps and the strengthening of inter-governmental and
inter-sectoral integration among the service providers These factors make management
systems more productive and service delivery processes more efficient ICTs help ensure
the overall sustainability of the service in the long term in line with the SIP objectives
which aim to promote active inclusion with significant savings in care services delivery
The impact on the care system and on care professionals is considerable because
integration can lead to the creation of new services which complement or substitute
existing ones Outcomes in terms of savings can be significant due to better alignment of
resources and needs and a redefinition of the role of public interventions and
professional care
61
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed
This section discusses the sustainability of the initiatives analysed and whether they can
be adopted in other contexts Although this discussion was not an explicit objective in the
analytical framework used for the cross-case analysis it is nevertheless related because
it takes a horizontal perspective on all the variables taken into account in our analysis
and the previous findings In fact the capacity of ICT to promote social innovation and
social investments can be measured in terms of the actual sustainability of an ICT
innovation and to what extent it can be scaled up in different contexts within the same
framework or in entirely new environments At the same time the contribution of ICT to
organizational change and to reshaping service design and delivery processes has a long-
term impact in light of the need to structurally reform social protection systems This
section therefore focuses particularly on the success factors that allow the transfer of
knowledge of the infrastructure and of the funding model to other contexts or to more
complex systems
We consider that our case studies show that the knowledge policies and solutions
developed in good practices can be promoted for wider development implementation and
transferability at a local national or European level Thus they can promote the
modernisation of social protection systems through funding policy leadership and by
fostering stronger cooperation among stakeholders Transferability refers to the potential
maximization of lessons learned from the experiences gained in a local setting or in a
pilot by implementing these experiences (or parts of them) in a wider context be it
geographical or organisational
All the cases analysed were selected for their potential sustainability and ease of wider
replication Nevertheless even though a case seemed to have good potential scalability
transferability always depends on a number of contextual variables which may affect the
actual chances of success in replicating the experience (eg funding political context
regulations etc)
Some of the cases analysed acknowledged this limitation and provided evidence of why
the potential for scaling up remained unexploited This seems to be the case of A Book
for a Roof where the need for resources and financial contributions from other library
networks or municipalities also at a European level was recognised as a barrier to
scaling up The lack of an effective policy at local regional national and EU level which
could push the adoption of ICT-based solutions in healthcare and finally the lack of
funding for large trials which could demonstrate the effectiveness of the services seemed
to be the main barriers to wider implementation of ACTION - even though the service
presented a high level of standardization and could be easily implemented in a wider
context and other EU Member States Only the Borarings municipality decided to make the
ACTION initiative part of its mainstream services for older citizens living at home and
their family carers Wider implementation by other municipalities did not follow mainly
because of the tension between the municipalities yearly budgets and the significant
long-term investment required Policy makers opted for cheaper quick-fix solutions over
services that implied waiting longer for returns An added difficulty is the tendency of
municipalities not to invest in prevention Our analysis shows that a barrier to the wider
implementation of the PASS initiative was its technology PASS relies on a new cloud
technology-based computing system which is not fully available outside Dublin Thus
further development and a specific data strategy would be needed for the initiative to be
replicated at national level or for it to be exported to other EU Member States Finally
PES also experienced difficulties as some of its target users were not sufficiently digitally
skilled or were illiterate and thus excluded from accessing services online (estimated to
be 10 of citizens) In this case the rigidity of the model and the lack of a multi-channel
approach which would allow direct contact or telephone assistance seemed to hinder the
transferability of the initiative It seems that a mix of physical and digital services may be
required as digital services do not allow the inclusion of those who lack digital skills
62
On the other hand some of the cases analysed have already been transferred or will be
scaled up We identified three main groups of successfully transferred practices
Scaling up and transferring activities This is the case of SDW and BSA SDW
scaled up to national level successful projects which had been tested at local level
Out of 25 projects 7 projects will be implemented nationally by 2017 Scaling up
BSA proved to have considerable potential since it allowed external professionals
to work within the integrated care system and private investments to flow in The
initiative mainly relied on the integration of the social and health care
departments This process has been consolidated in Catalonia There were plans
to scale this initiative up to national level as it had been identified and showcased
as a good practice by the Spanish government It could also be transferred to
other countries and has indeed been studied by other international institutions
(such as the University of Udine) The case of EESTIEE is somewhat different
Here there were no plans to develop further functionalities content andor
services in the future release of the gateway However the benefits reaped will be
used to include services from other fields (eg adding notification services in
cooperation with various institutions informing users about this service and
expanding entrepreneur-orientated functionalities) EKSOTE has been considered
a good practice by the Finnish government A law has been passed according to
which all districts in Finland will have to adopt this kind of service model by the
end of 2019 thus the initiative will be scaled up nationwide The piloting system
takes advantage of existing components in social and healthcare sector
organizations which do not require major investments or changes in the
architecture system The existing methodology makes it perfectly possible to
transfer the experience to other European contexts The transferability of some
initiatives has been indirectly confirmed by funding activities for example TDP
organised a number of knowledge dissemination activities and various knowledge
transfer events (conferences workshops etc) in the UK and Europe The
evaluation of the programme was also widely shared electronically It is one of the
good practices in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing for which Scotland was awarded 3 Star Reference Site status Evidence of
its transferability can be seen in the launch of two important programmes jointly
funded by the EC and the Scottish Government (United4Health and SmartCare)
which support people with long-term conditions living in Ayrshire Renfrewshire
and Lanarkshire The objective is to leverage telecare services in these local
communities and to transfer the experiences of Scottish telecare across the EU28
W2W transferred the British W2W experience to the Region of Malopolska where
the model is perfectly replicated The Polish Government is planning to expand the
project to other regions and has devised a new systematic intervention to re-
engineer the social welfare support to the long-term unemployed at a national
level based on the outcomes of W2W
Technology and structural transferability This was the case of Pocircle Emploi that
was scaled up by the agreement signed in December 2014 for 2015-2018 with
the Government and UNEDIC The scale up of the initiative was oriented to
enhance the opportunities offered by the portal in the direction of establishing
itself as the coordinator of French intermediation initiatives and as an aggregator
of other market players The CBSS experience also provides important lessons for
governments that are striving to improve services for the users and especially for
companies by adapting internal and external processes with the help of modern
technologies The CBSS systemrsquos architecture could evolve into a Pan-European
service andor be transferred to other European contexts thanks to its
compliance with international technological standards Little Bird was considered
good practice by another 25 German municipalities which are planning to
implement it Local administrations showed great interest in the initiative because
it helps make significant cost savings In addition all the modules of the solution
are closely integrated which makes it highly adaptable to local requirements Its
63
open software means that this project can be easily scaled up in other
communities cities and countries and evolve to a European level Another
relevant example of technology transferability is the case of INPS which takes
advantage of the ldquomobile erardquo Due to the decisive role that its ICT assets can
play within the Italian public sector the Italian Institute of Social Security (INPS)
is becoming a ldquohubrdquo for Italian institutions not only in employment services but
also in the overall social protection system INPS has invested significantly in ICT
infrastructure in the last decade in order to implement the INPS digitalisation of
services It is now in a position to lead the public inter-operability and information
exchange process The legal framework envisaged for the implementation of the
Public Connectivity System (SPC) which is one of the main pillars of the
implementation of the European Digital Agenda also contributed to this
64
6 Conclusions
61 Key results
611 General contribution from ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives
To sum up it is worth repeating that ICTs do make an important contribution especially
when combined with further elements that through the case studies and the cross-case
analysis have been identified as key drivers of successful ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives
The involvement of beneficiaries in all phases of an initiative (including design
implementation and follow-up) might be enabled by the use of ICTs and in turn it
contributes to exploiting one of the main potential attributes of ICTs ie to support the
development of new relational mechanisms As a consequence the building of
partnerships and stakeholder commitment at different levels (eg to implement or even
jointly finance an initiative) is crucial to take full advantage from the contribution offered
by ICTs especially when the public sector needs to implement a policy targeted to
different types of beneficiaries In particular political commitment and a certain ability to
shape broad policy frameworks are both conducive to the use and development of ICT in
social services The development of monitoring tools alongside an ICT-based innovation
to demonstrate results and facilitate transferability is a further key factor for making an
initiative successful
Moreover it is worth noticing that the contribution ICTs are able to offer is especially
strengthened by clear information exchange and multi-channel approaches This depends
on the fact that such approaches ndash as emerged from the different case studies analysed
ndash are a key enabler of integration ICTs facilitate the sharing of information and enable
the integration of services thus enhancing the impact of social services delivery
As detailed in presenting the case studies and the cross-case analysis it is possible to
appreciate that the contribution of ICTs to integration processes and therefore to the
improvements of social service delivery might assume different shapes
For instance ICTs create client pathways and focus on outcomes they enable a more
targeted and personalized approach that allows clients with complex needs to receive
coordinated services Moreover ICTs provide evidence of demonstrable improvements to
outcomes delivered
ICTs also allow greater coordination between different levels of government which is
essential to improving system integrity and reducing duplication and gaps in service
provision This contribution might have positive consequences also with regard to the
social service provider accountability When the latter is the public sector greater
accountability and transparency mean in turn a contribution in terms of their democratic
legitimacy establishing indeed a closer and trustworthy relationship between itself and
the citizens
In line with the mentioned improvement of the relationships between the public sector
and citizens a further contribution ICTs give to the simplification and an easier take-up
of services needs to be mentioned the consolidation of the one-stop-shopno-stop-shop
approach Through such a way to re-design the access to services users are provided
with a single entry point into social protection systems making of ICTs an important
medium for the institution-citizen relationship
By bringing together stakeholders from public private and not-for-profit sectors in formal
networks ICTs help to address complex social problems through coordinated local level
interventions including resource sharing and joint social investment strategies In other
words the potential of ICTs through partnership creation and network integration
allows offering clients seamless assistance and care
65
Overall ICTs play an important role in the modernization of social protection systems
enhancing social services quality and equal opportunityfair access ICTs are especially
effective with regard several dimensions ICTs can (i) support the process of social
services delivery reform by offering opportunities for open collaboration and
participation (ii) help to fully digitalise processes and improve payment mechanisms
which saves on operational costs and provides benefits (iii) increase the effectiveness of
interventions and reducing social services fragmentation and duplication across
organisations and countries (iv) make social services more proactive and closer to the
point of need by identifying and targeting beneficiaries effectively (v) provide a way of
increasing accountability while transforming and extending service delivery to the
underserved
612 ICT-enabled social innovation contribution to the implementation of the Social Investment Package objectives
The case studies and the cross-case analysis provide useful insights into the factors that
have been critical to an initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social
innovation They also show how these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the
Social Investment Package objectives
a) Modernizing social protection systems spending more effectively and
efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies or departments
many initiatives reshaped the public model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach (EESTIEE) In particular the exploitation of ICTs
resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the
social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
(INPS) The contribution ICTs give to the modernization of social protection system is
often and mainly related to their ability to reduce to a minimum the administrative
burden for citizens companies and civil servants (CBSS)
b) Implementing active inclusion strategies investing in peoples skills and
capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the
labour market
The combination of employment information management and ICT training allows the
redesigning of the production process of services the improvement of integration
opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of fragile people especially into the
labour market (A Book for a Roof W2W ACTION) The integration of services
facilitated by the use of ICTs aims to empower people especially homeless people older
people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at
home or to find job opportunities It also helped improve the quality of life of the
beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers Moreover the equal access to health
and social care services to all citizens in the region of operation across the boundaries of
municipalities directly contributes to strengthening the inclusiveness of social protection
systems and therefore to enhancing peoples opportunities to integrate in society
(EKSOTE TDP)
c) Investing in individuals throughout their life ensuring that social protection
systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
By recognising the importance of skills and active inclusion strategies through psycho-
social support many initiatives succeeded in boosting beneficiaries motivation which
66
responded to their needs at a critical moment in their lives (A Book for a Roof W2W
ACTION) The contribution offered by ICTs often consists of changing the paradigm for
the delivery service model which might shift towards a beneficiary-centric approach
reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to
peoples changing needs (INPS BSA CBSS) The ability to adapt to peoples needs is
achieved by ICTs through personalization of services especially important in the field of
employment support services where it contributes to improving job demand and supply
matching by aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations (Pocircle Emploi PES)
62 Policy implications
Findings from the analysis of case studies allowed us to draw some general policy
implications for policy making at local national and EU level A first set of policy
implications is related to the issue of welfare systems sustainability With regard to this
first dimension the aim is to spot some major social issues in which ICTs might offer an
important support without structural or wider reform attempts A second set of policy
implications is based on the fact that in order to take full advantage of the potential ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives have some contextual and complementary policy
initiatives are needed Finally a third set of policy implications mainly deals with the
needed administrative changes and the required financial support especially in view of a
more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social innovation potential
I Not only are ICTs enabling factors for the modernisation of social protection
systems they can also safeguard the sustainability of welfare systems
themselves
As some of the cases analysed seem to demonstrate for instance CBSS PASS SDW
and BSA ICTs contribute to solving the structural imbalance between emerging and
growing social needs (which require that services be implemented more effectively) and
the decreasing or limited financial resources available to do so
In particular the cross-case analysis shows that ICT-enabled social innovation can help
social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected
by different health and social conditions and require multiple services
Technological advances have made it possible to link information across
programme areas and to identify individuals with complex needs and hence target
them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used
to having access to information and services through web and mobile devices
New digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with
service providers across a range of industries including the social services and
more generally the welfare area
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour
market participation of all members of the working-age population A new wave of
welfare-to-work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments
trying to reduce demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from
finding sustained employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and
demand
Cope with budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to
widespread public sector austerity measures in many developed economies These
pressures mean that service integration and optimisation are becoming
increasingly attractive options for governments looking for higher cost
67
effectiveness in service delivery Allocating higher percentages of resources and
incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated
to the most effective and efficient initiatives They must be scaled up or
transferred to other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics
functionalities allow us to leverage the evidence collected and better allocate
resources on the basis of the specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information
regarding the policy interventions undertaken and its results This data can then
be shared in order to inform policy makers and support the decision making
process to develop or adapt future policies
II Technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for social innovation
and social investment to fully deliver on their promises
As shown in some of the cases ICTs are crucial but sometimes not sufficient to achieve
the expected benefits For ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to fully realise their
potential other enabling factors must come into play
Workforce development the empowerment of workers (eg in care) and job
seekers requires investment in their skills and competences They must also be
given new and flexible ways of participating in the labour market Employers and
public institutions must invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation
working groups They must also envisage staff co-location and develop joint
training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and fill any
skills gaps that may arise This also requires the creation of new roles and a
review of existing jobs in order to adapt them to the changing environment and
the evolving needs of the workforce (see ACTION INPS Digitalization of services
and Pocircle Emploi)
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third
sector providers should be promoted and the development of innovative
initiatives should be facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for
the integration of such practices into actual practices and for scaling up (see TDP
PES NL and EKSOTE)
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms for funding schemes
seem to be efficient in promoting coordinated interventions to address common
and shared social problems in an outcome-oriented approach Other schemes
such as ldquopersonal budgetsrdquo (sums of money allocated by a local authority to
service users to be spent on services to meet their needs) produce effective
incentives because they enable users and case managers to freely purchase the
desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they foster the creation
of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are closer to the
needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms have been implemented in
order to encourage integration and collaboration among different service providers
(see W2W and A Book for a Roof)
III ICTs development and implementation must be combined with re-
engineering of organizational structures so that they can cope with the
innovations This also requires finding resources eg the European
structural funds
Simplification of service procedures through an open-government approach the
increase in information and knowledge exchange and in openness and
transparency provide new opportunities for public administrations to offer user-
68
friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs and the administrative
burden The open government approach can encourage this transformation by
opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration for the design
production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and
decisions enhance transparency accountability and trust in government (see
EESTIEE Little Bird and PES)
Use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 period to
further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector National and regional
authorities are in charge of drafting their Partnership Contracts - Partnership
Agreement with the European Commission which form the basis for delivering ESI
funds These institutions can therefore play a proactive role in both the allocation
of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-financing
requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another (see W2W)
63 Future research
The case studies and the cross-case analysis have helped us identify a number of gaps
that future research could address More systematic collection and publication of
data on relevant initiatives are needed In order to gather as much information as
possible on the identified initiatives and to collect as many relevant opinions and points
of view that could add value to the information gathered through desk research the
research team interviewed relevant stakeholders for each of the selected initiatives
However even though the interviews made it possible to draft in-depth analysis reports
and allowed the research team to better understand the case studies getting in touch
with additional stakeholders would have been desirable Since information is often
difficult to find direct interactions with stakeholders can be the only way to access
relevant and important information on activities performed resources allocated
outcomes achieved barriers encountered and lessons learnt More efforts should go into
making the results of these initiatives public and data (eg on outcomes) should be
more systematically collected Another difficulty faced by the research team is the
breadth of the research field and the limited resources available for developing case
studies which are a time and resource-consuming exercise per se Indeed developing 14
case studies covering 14 different countries has been a challenging exercise which only
gives a snapshot on half the EU Member States In order to obtain a more solid evidence
base greater coverage of the different services and geographical areas would be
desirable This would enhance the validity of the findings in the cross-case analysis A
continuation of this research should perhaps focus on a specific area such as employment
or social inclusion Further initiatives could be identified in that selected area through
country studies each of which would target a given number of initiatives This could be
effectively achieved by involving key informants in the selected countries
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect the direction of future
research Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes
have also been recognised as part of a strategy in support of social policy innovation
initiatives and it could be interesting to explore these further since they could offer the
policy maker new organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business
models effectively contribute to social change
It is important to answer the question of whether social policy innovation strategies
especially those enabled by ICTs can be embedded in the policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other words it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox
69
At the same time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies
will not be the panacea for all welfare state challenges but rather one of the social
protection layers of future welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the
future of welfare systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as
supplementary minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits
schemes
Nevertheless social policy innovation initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an
important role represent an important means of modernising social protection systems
ICTs need to be used as part of a broader strategy designed and led by the public sector
which becomes an even more important actor and will also take on the task of
coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
Thus we suggest that a broader inventory of effective social policy innovation initiatives
should be compiled and researched This would help us answer some of the questions
that emerged from the IESI research and described in this report lsquohow can the public
sector ie the Member States pursue this ambitious taskrsquo lsquowhat kind of tools do
Member States need to harness a multi-layer welfare system of this kindrsquo and
especially lsquowhat type of knowledge do national and supranational policymakers need to
deal with such an important and complex responsibilityrsquo
To address these and others questions the JRC is considering establishing a permanent
online observatory and knowledge platform to monitor and transfer innovative practices
of social policy innovation This platform will focus on social services delivery mechanisms
and welfare governance models
To support this process further data collection and revision of the conceptual and
analytical framework underpinning the IESI research are needed This requires a broader
unit of analysis which can enrich the findings so far and gather and represent the main
features of what the EU Commission has labelled acutesocial policy innovationacute This will also
shape the future research that could become the backbone of a JRC Observatory on
Social Policy Innovation
70
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welfare reform in continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
(pp 129-55)
Hemerijck A and Sleegers P (2007) lsquoThe Netherlands Social and Economic
Normalization in an Era of European Union Controversyrsquo in Kvist J and Saari J
(eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol Policy (pp 175ndash94)
Hemerijck A Draumlbing V Vis B Nelson M Soentken M (2013) European Welfare
States in Motion NEUJOBS Working Paper NO D52 March 2013
Henriksen LS and Bundesen P (2004) The moving frontier in Denmark Voluntary-
state relationships since 1850 in ldquoJournal of Social Policyrdquo Vol 33 no 4 pp
601ndash621
Hood C (1991) A public management for all seasons Public Administration 693ndash19
Hood C (1995) Emerging issues in public administration Public Administration
73165ndash83
Houwing H (2010) A Dutch Approach to Flexicurity Negotiated Change in the
Organization of Temporary Work Amsterdam University of Amsterdam
Hubert A et al (2010) Empowering people driving change Social innovation in the
European Union EC Brussels
Hubert A Carvalho DdG amp Goudin P (2014) Social Innovation a Decade of
Changes BEPA report prepared for the European Commisison
IE NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash Ireland
ILO (International Labour Organization) (1952) C102 ndash Convention (No 102) Social
Security (Minimum Standards) (Geneva ILO)
76
Immergut E Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) (2007) The Handbook of Pension
Politics in Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press
Inglot T (2008) Welfare States in East Central Europe 1919ndash2004 Cambridge
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Irish Government (2006) National Report for Ireland on Strategies for Social Protection
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ISSA (2014) Social Security Programs Throughout the World Europe SSA Publication
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ISSA (2013) Europe Enhancing the sustainability of comprehensive social security
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Jensen C (2008) ldquoWorlds of welfare services and transfersrdquo Journal of European
Social Policy 18 151 pp 151-162
Jessoula M and Alti T (2010) ldquoItaly An Uncompleted Departure from Bismarckrdquo in B
Palier (ed) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare Reform in
Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Jessoula M and Vesan P (2011) lsquoItaly Limited Adaptation of an Atypical Systemrsquo in
Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National
Adaptations to Post-Industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford
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Kangas O (2007) lsquoFinland Labour Markets Against Politicsrsquo in Immergut E
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Kangas O Lundberg U and Ploug N (2006) lsquoThree Routes to a Pension Reform
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Kautto M (2002) ldquoInvesting in services in West European welfare statesrdquo Journal of
European Social Policy 12 1 pp 53-65
KELLY G amp MUERS S (2002) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical framework for
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KELLY G MULGAN G amp MUERS S (2004) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical
frameworkfor public service reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
Keune M (2006) lsquoThe European Social Model and Enlargementrsquo in Jepsen M and
Serrano A(eds) Unwrapping the European Social Model Bristol Policy (pp
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King D (1995) Actively Seeking Work The Politics of Unemployment and Welfare
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Koumlhler P Thoreacuten K and Ulmestig R (2008) Activation Policies in Sweden
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Korthouwer GHP (2010) Party Politics as we Knew It Failure to Dominate
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KPMG International (2012) Leading practices in the human and social services sector
77
KPMG International (2013a) Future State 2030 The Global Megatrends shaping
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KPMG International (2013b) The Integration Imperative reshaping the delivery of
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KPMG International (2014) What works Creating new value with patients carers and
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KPMG International (2014) ldquoA new vision of value ndash Connecting corporate and societal
value creationrdquo
KPMG International (2014) Netherlands Buurtzorg empowered nurses focus on patient
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Kubicek K amp Hagen M (2001) One-stop-government in Europe An overview
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Kuhlman S and P Fedele (2010) ldquoNew public management in continental Europe
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Lapsley I (1999) Accounting and the New Public Management Instruments of
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Lapsley I (2001) Accounting organization and the statersquo Financial Accountability and
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Larsen CA and Andersen JG (2009) lsquoHow New Economic Ideas Changed the Danish
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Lubelcovaacute G (2012) ldquoSocial innovations in the context of modernisationrdquo Socioloacutegia-
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Maino F (2013) Tra nuovi bisogni e vincoli di bilancio protagonisti risorse
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Marmot M Allen J Bell R Bloomer E amp Goldblatt P (2012) WHO European
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McSweeney B (1994) Management by accounting in A Hopwood amp P Miller eds
Accounting as Social and Institutional Practice An Introduction Cambridge
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Misuraca G et al (2011) Interoperability Challenges for ICT-enabled Governance
Towards a pan-European Conceptual Framework J Theor Appl Electron
Commer Res ISSN 0718ndash1876 Electron Version 6 1 95ndash111
Misuraca G et al (2013) From Practice to Theory and back to Practice Reflexivity in
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Misuraca G et al (2015) ICT-Enabled Social Innovation in support of the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
78
Misuraca G(2012) ldquoAssessing ICT-enabled innovation for governance and policy
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Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Digital Governance in the Public Sector challenging
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Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Is Open Data Enough E-Governance Challenges for
Open Government Int J Electron Gov Res 10 1 19ndash36
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2015) Shaping public sector innovation theory an
interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation Electron
Commer Res 1ndash20
Molina O (2011) ldquoPolicy Concertation Trade Unions and the Transformation of the
Spanish Welfare Staterdquo en Guilleacuten AM Leoacuten M (eds) The Spanish Welfare
State in European Context Ashgate Farnham pp77-96
Montero A van Duijn S Zonneveld N Minkman M Nies H (2016) Integrated
Social Services in Europe European Social Network Brighton
Moore MH Creating public value strategic management in government Harvard
University Press Cambridge Mass (1995)
Morel N (2007) lsquoFrom Subsidiarity to lsquoFree Choicersquo Child‐ and Elder‐care Policy
Reforms in France Belgium Germany and the Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy amp
Administration 41(6) 618ndash37
Morel N Palier B amp Palme J (2012) Towards a social investment welfare state
ideas policies and challenges Policy Press
Mulgan G (2007) Social Innovation What it is why it matters and how it can be
accelerated London Young Foundation
Mulgan G (2009) The art of Public Strategy Mobilizing Power and Knowledge for the
Common Good Oxford
Mu ller K (2002) lsquoBeyond Privatization Pension Reform in the Czech Republic and
SloveniarsquoJournal of European Social Policy 12(4) 293ndash306
Munday B (2003) European Social Services A Map of Characteristics Report prepared
for the Council of Europe
Murphy M (2007) lsquoThe Emerging Irish Workfare State and Its Implications for Local
Developmentrsquo in Taming the Tiger Social Exclusion in a Globalised Ireland
Dublin TASC A Think Tank for action on Social Change (pp 85ndash112)
Murphy M (2008) lsquoIdeas Interests and Institutions Explaining Irish Social Security
Policyrsquo Combat Poverty Agency Research Working Paper 0808
Murphy-Lawless J (2000) lsquoChanging Womenrsquos Lives Child Care Policy in Irelandrsquo
Feminist Economics 6(1) 89ndash94
Natali D Pavolini E (2014) Prowelfare Providing welfare through social dialogue A
new role for social partners Executive Summary Results of the comparative
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ND NSR (2014) National Social Report 2015 ndash Netherlands
Nelson H (2008) ldquoPublic employment and multilevel governance in unitary and federal
systemsrdquo in H-U Derlien and BG Peters (eds) The State at Work (volume 2)
Comparative Public Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar 33-64
Nelson M (2012) lsquoMaking Markets with Active Labor Market Policies the Influence of
Political Parties Welfare State Regimes and Economic Change on Spending on
Different Types of Policiesrsquo European Political Science Review
79
Nesporova A (1999) Employment and Labour Market Policies in Transition Economies
GenevaILO
Nikolai (2012) Towards social investment Patterns of public policy in the OECD worldrdquo
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Noumllke A and Vliegenthart A (2009) lsquoEnlarging the Varieties of Capitalism The
Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europersquo World
Politics 61 670ndash702
OECD (1997) Managing Across Levels of Government Part One Overview Paris
OECD (2005) Pensions at a Glance Public Policies across OECD Countries Paris OECD
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Olson O J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds (1998) Global Warning mdash Debating International
Developments in New Public Financial Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag
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Orenstein M (1994) The Political Success of Neo-Liberalism in the Czech Republic
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Oslashsterud Oslashyvind and Per Selle (2006) Power and Democracy in Norway The
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Palier B (ed) (2010) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare State
Reform in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Pallot J (1999) The New Zealand revolution in O Olson J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds
Global Warning mdash Debating International Developments in New Public Financial
Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag Bergen Norway 156ndash84
Pallot J (2000) Experimenting in the Antipodes Long Term Financial Planning in New
Zealand Local Government EIASM International Conference on Accounting
Auditing and Management in Public Sector Reforms Zaragoza Spain
Palme J (2005) Features of the Swedish Pension Reform The Japanese Journal of
Social Security Policy 4(1) 42ndash53
Peters B G (2008) ldquoRegional government and public employmentrdquo in H-U Derlien
and BG Peters BG (eds) The State at Work (volume 2) Comparative Public
Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar pp 65-76
Phillis J A Deiglmeier K ndash Miller D T 2008 Rediscovering Social Innovation In
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Phills J A (2009) Rediscovery social innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review
Pisano U Lange L and Berger G (2015) Social Innovation in Europe an overview
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PL NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Poland
PL SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Poland
Plantenga J Remery C and Takacs J (2012) lsquoPublic Support to Young Families in
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Europe Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Pollitt C amp H Summa (1997) Trajectories of reform Public management change in four
countries Public Money amp Management Jan-March7ndash18
Pollitt C Bouckaert G (2000) Public Management Reform A Comparative Analysis
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80
Pollitt Christopher (2003) The essential public manager Berkshire Open University
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Porter M E amp Kramer M R (2011) Creating shared value Harvard business
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Potucek M (2007) lsquoThe Czech Republic Tradition Compatible with Modernisation in
Kvist J and Saari J (eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol
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Rhodes M (2000) lsquoRestructuring the British Welfare State Between Domestic
Constraints and Global Imperativesrsquo in Scharpf FW and Schmidt VA (eds)
Welfare and Work in the Open Economy Oxford Oxford University Press (pp
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Russell H OrsquoConnell PJ and McGinnity F (2007) lsquoThe Impact of Flexible Working
Arrangements on Work-Life Conflict and Work Pressure in Irelandrsquo Economic and
Social Research Institute Working Paper
Sacchi S and Bastagli F (2005) lsquoItaly Striving Uphill but Stopping Halfwayrsquo in
Ferrera M (ed) Welfare State Reform In Southern Europe Fighting Poverty
and Social Exclusion In Italy Spain Portugal and Greece London Routledge
(pp 84ndash140)
Sapir A (2006) Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models JCMS
Journal of Common Market Studies Volume 44 Issue 2 pages 369ndash390 June
2006
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2007) lsquoRe-familisation of the Czech Family Policy and Its
Causesrsquo International Review of Sociology 17(2) 319ndash41
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2009) lsquoNeo‐liberalism by Decay The Evolution of the
Czech Welfare Statersquo Social Policy amp Administration 43(2) 186ndash203
Schludi M (2005) The Reform of Biskmarckian Pension System Amsterdam
Amsterdam University Press
Schmidt VV (2002) lsquoDoes Discourse Matter in the Politics of Welfare State
Adjustmentlsquo Comparative Political Studies 35(2) 168ndash93
SE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Sweden
Sirovaacutetka T Hora O (2011) lsquoThe Czech Republic -Activation Diversification and
Marginalisationrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 255ndash77)
Sivesind KH (2014) The changing role of private and nonprofit welfare provision in
Norway Sweden and Denmark and consequences for the Scandinavian model
Paper for the 12th Annual ESPAnet Conference Oslo 4-6 September 2014
Sjoumlberg O (2011) lsquoSweden - Ambivalent Adjustmentrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D
(eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-
industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 208ndash
31)
Sotiropoulos D amp Bourikos D (2014) Economic Crisis Social Solidarity and the
Voluntary Sector in Greece Journal of Power Politics amp Governance Vol 2 No
2 pp 33-53
Spear R Defourny J Faverou L Laville JL (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in
Europe The Contribution of The Social Economy Aldershot Ashgate
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
81
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Szelewa D Polakowski MP (2008) lsquoWho Cares Changing Patterns of Childcare in
Central and Eastern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 18(2) 115ndash31
Taylor G (2005) Negotiated Governance and Public Policy in Ireland Manchester
Manchester University Press
Toharia L and Malo MA (2000) lsquoThe Spanish Experiment Pros and Cons of
Flexibility at the Marginrsquo in Esping-Andersen G and Regini M (eds) Why
Deregulate Labour Markets Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 307ndash36)
Torfing J (1999) lsquoWorkfare With Welfare Recent Reforms of the Danish Welfare
Statersquo Journal of European Social Policy 9(1) pp 5ndash28
Torres L (2004) Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental
countries Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 63 Issue 3 pages
99ndash112 September 2004
Trampusch C (2009) Der erschoumlpfte Sozialstaat Transformation eines Politikfeldes
Frankfurt Campus
UK NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash United Kingdom
Valentova M (2012) lsquoEmployment Breaks due to Childcare in The Czech Republic
Before and After 1989rsquo Work Employment and Society 26(2) 266-81
Van Berkel R de Graaf W and Sirovaacutetka T (eds) (2011) The Governance of
Welfare States in Europe Houndmills Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan
Van Hooren F and Becker U (2012) lsquoOne Welfare State Two Care Regimes
Understanding Developments in Child and Elderly Care Policies in the
Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy and Administration 46 (1) 83-107
Van Oorschot W (2004) Balancing work and welfare activation and flexicurity policies
in The Netherlands 1980ndash2000 International Journal of Social Welfare Volume
13 Issue 1 pages 15ndash27 January 2004
Večerniacutek J (2008) Social Policy in the Czech ldquoRepublicrdquo The Past and the Future of
Reforms East European Politics amp Society 22(3) 496-517
Visser J (2002) lsquoThe First Part-time Economy in the World a Model to Be Followedrsquo
Journal of European Social Policy 12(1) 23ndash42
Visser J and Hemerijck A (1997) A Dutch Miracle Job Growth Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wall K (2009) lsquoPortugal and Spain Two Pathways in Southern Europersquo in Kamerman
SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies Children
Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp 207ndash26)
Weishaupt JT (2010) lsquoA Silent Revolution New Management Ideas and the
Reinvention of European Public Employment Servicesrsquo Socio-Economic Review
8(3) 461ndash86
Weishaupt JT (2011) From the Manpower Revolution to the Activation Paradigm
Explaining Institutional Continuity and Change in an Integrating Europe
Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wolk A Kreitz K (2008) Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact A Social-
Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social problems Cambridge Root Cause
Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) (2010b) The Provision of Public Services in Europe
Between State Local Government and Market Cheltenham Edward Elgar
82
Young R (2008) Social Value and the Future of Social Entrepreneurship In Social
Entrepreneurship New Models of Sustainable Social Change Oxford Oxford
University Press 2008
Zeitlin J (2003) Introduction Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy
European and American Experiments in Zeitlin J and Trubek D (eds)
Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy European and American
Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
List of web sites and repositories investigated
Web sites related to social sciences like H-Net Academiaedu Social Science Space
Social Science Research Social Science Statistics Center for Philosophy of Natural
and Social Science
Repository libraries related to social sciences like Social Science Open Access
Repository Economic and Social Research Council Social Sciences Health and
Education Library European Social Innovation Research
Universities related to social sciences like
TU-Dortmund (httpwwwwisotu-dortmunddewisodefakultaet) University of
Helsinki (httpstuhathalvihelsinkifiportalenpublicationssearchhtml)
University of Glasgow (httpeprintsglaacuk ) European University Institute
(httpcadmuseuieu ) Humboldt Universitaumlt Berlin (httpwww2hu-
berlindeforschungfdb )
Member States websites related to the Social Protection Systems
World Health Organization web site
London school of economics web site
DG EMPL website
EU Bookshop
Website of Institutions that promote awards to worthy initiatives (ie European Public
Sector Award - EPSA)
Professional human resources web sites like wwwhrcom in which it is possible to find
information focusing on major employment issues
Database of the European Association Working for Carers httpeurocarersorg
(httpeurocarersorgcarictindex2phptask=projectsamporder=nameampdir=ASCampd
b=2ampkeyword=independent+living )
The web and the blog spheres by searching for basic expressions related to the topic of
interest in traditional search engines (Google Bing etc) and investigating
targeted information gathering portals
Other sources of information related to the topics of analysis such as
KPMG Professional Network and the Centre of Excellence
Interaction with the Advisory Group
The Annual Growth Survey 2015 edited by the European Community
The Jointly Employment Report 2015 edited by the European Community
83
List of abbreviations and definitions
JRC Joint Research Centre
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
ICT Information and Communication Technology
PSSGI Personal Social Services of General Interest
SIP Social Investment Package
SI Social Innovation
DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
IESI ICT enabled Social Innovation in support to the Implementation of the
Social Investment Package
EU European Union
SPC Social Protection Commitee
SPPM Social Protection Performance Monitor
GDP Gross Domestic Product
COM
PSS Personal Social Services
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CVD Cardiovascular Disease
HF Heart Failure
BEPA
EPSA European Public Sector Award
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
84
List of tables
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems 17
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops 26
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation 32
Table 4 Selected Case Studies 33
Table 5 Social services addressed35
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration 52
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives 55
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment 57
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation 59
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing 60
85
List of figures
Figure 1 Research Design 9
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology 13
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework 13
Figure 4 Analytical framework 14
Figure 5 The integration continuum 22
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation 23
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments 27
Figure 8 Geographical distribution 34
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services 36
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map 36
86
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies
A BOOK FOR A
ROOF (ABFR)
ZAGREB CITY LIBRARIES
Country Croatia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 400
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production
Sustainedorganisational innovation
Open process of co-
creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is seen as a new threat in most Croatian cities as it was largely ignored by policy makers until the Social Welfare Act in 2012 Since then several stakeholders ndash public and local government authorities trade unions employers and civil society organizationsrsquo representatives ndash have been involved in the drafting of the Strategy for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion in Croatia (2014-2020) One of the objectives in this strategy was to elaborate guidance on the necessary actions to improve care services for homeless The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has carried out a new plan - Consolidated Plan for the Care of the Homeless Persons during Extreme Winter Weather Conditionsrsquo - to implement specific actions that will allow a better provision of social services for
homeless The plan was the result of a multi-governance
87
collaboration between the national level large towns
municipalities homes for the elderly and the infirm and homes for mentally ill adults Its aim was to secure better data from the local authorities in order to plan effectively the availability of an adequate number of temporary structures as well as other services to help homeless people during the coldest months of the year
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) a network of public libraries that serves Zagreb and Zagreb County works with homeless people to increase their employability and build their self-image and confidence13
Aim of the initiative The overall aim of A Book for A Roof was to help the network of ZCL to develop a set of activities that through the medium of ICTs could provide employability and build positive self-imagine and confidence into the homeless living in the city Supporting homeless people to become more engaged and
proactive in the labour market
Overcoming the prejudices and preconceptions about the homeless in libraries Improving the life chances of homeless individuals Building the self-image of one of the cityrsquos most complex socially excluded groups Aiding homeless individuals to secure a future throughout
investing on strong partnership
Financial Model After the initial first year grant in 2011 provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries the project survived thanks to the help of different partners such as other homeless shelters within the city the Voluntary Centers local authorities and stakeholders involved into the project after the positive achievements realized
during the first years of activity One of these stakeholders was the Zagreb City Council that in 2012 granted 10000 Kunas (euro1300) to help evolving and expanding the main goals of this
initiative
Results Creation of a new network of public private and non-profit actors which for the first time actively helped each other to produce
social inclusion for homeless bull Raised awareness on the homelessness issue through
conferences workshops and media coverage bull 22 homeless among the 63 who used ICT trainings during
20112012 found a job bull The library trained 17 volunteers to provide ICT and job-seeking
training to the homeless
Role of ICTs The A Book for a Roof initiative depends mainly on the use of ICT to accomplish its main goals The role of ICTs in promoting social innovation is based on the empowering effect that enabling technologies have for the homelessICT courses include using the Internet to seek for
employment applying for jobs online and enhance homeless
individuals likelihood to (re)-engage with the job market This is coupled with job application training motivation and counseling and takes place in the library where homeless citizens feel more comfortable and safe
Lessons learned bull The initiative can be deemed sustainable because of its limited
costs however as it relies on donations constant disseminationinformation activity is necessary to keep high social awareness around the issue of homelessness
bull The need for resources and financial contributions from other library networks or municipalities can be a barrier to scaling up
bull Other parts of Croatia have started offering similar services
Key Informants Sanja Bunic Project Manager Zagreb City Libraries
Danijel Vuga House of Hope Shelter
88
CROSSROAD
BANK FOR
SOCIAL
SECURITY
(CBSS)
Country Belgium
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group socially insured personscompanies
Target people reached 11000000
Main PSSGI Social care social assistance
Started in 2002
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential
Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background More than two decades ago the Belgian administration carried out an in depth analysis on the functioning of social security delivery processes showing that bull The organization of the business processes of the social security
institutions presented a lack of customer orientation and was not at all harmonized across the different social security institutions
bull There was a lack of standardization in the paper forms used by each institution for collecting information from the customers
bull There was no exchange of information across institutions with
the consequence of a duplication of information bull The socially insured persons and their employers had
themselves to look for their rights throughout the social security system and could not count on the automatic granting of all
89
rights on the basis of one declaration
To address the issues 13 years ago the Belgian social security institute started developing a coordinated information management program generating Crossroad Bank for Social Security This allowed the creation of a permanent and inter-operable social security network among all 3000 social security institutions in Belgium
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Electronic data exchange between citizens and social security institutions
Aim of the initiative The overall objective of Crossroad Bank for Social Security is to provide socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have a minimum level of administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
bull The key objective of the back office was to re-organize all
processes and relationships with each social security institutions and between all 3000 social security institutions
bull With regard to the front office it was re-organized in order to deliver integrated electronic services to the target groups (socially insured persons companies intermediaries etc) in a personalized way via an access method (eg application to
application file transfer portal) chosen by the user
Financial Model The annual cost of CBSS (its network and services as well as its 90 employees) equals to 17 million euro The cost is financed by a withholding on the social security contribution paid by the employers the employee and the self-employed before the
distribution of these contributions to the social security sectors There is no direct charge for the actors in the social security sector
Results bull Significant reduction of administrative burden for workers
thanks to CBSS only 2 (out of 120) declarations have to be
done directly by the individual
bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for CBSS in relation to total cost of delivery
bull Still more important than the efficiency gains are probably the gains in terms of service effectiveness
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the Social Protection system in terms of quality of services as well as the overall systems sustainability
Role of ICTs CBSS is conceived as a brand new ICT architecture with 5 main distinctive characteristics bull Information modelling bull Unique collection and re-use of information bull Management of information
bull Electronic exchange of information bull Protection of information
Lessons learned bull CBSS has already existed for already 25 years which is itself
evidence of sustainability bull CBSS fostered the development of a coherent legal framework bull CBSS has been asked to reuse the same model in the health
sector for pharmacies practitioners hospital care etc This same model was copied applied in other countries as well especially after receiving the many awards given to CBSS such as the UN award in 2006 For example Argentina copied the model
bull Key success factor is the sufficient financial support made
available for the implementation of CBSS
Key Informants Frank Robben General manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security National Office for Social Security Belgium
90
EESTIEE
ESTONIA STATE PORTAL
Country Estonia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General population
Target people reached 401316 users
Main PSSGI Civic engagement
Started in 2003
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 Estonia - one of the smallest nations in Europe - was left with
little public infrastructure and virtually no commercial activity It needed to build high-functioning government services for its
residents and the fledgling private sector To address this need Estoniarsquos government invested proactively in technology to bring government services and citizens online In 2003 the Estonian government launched the first version of its e-government portal (wwweestiee) which offered secure online access to a limited number of government services Since then the Estonian State Portal has developed and expanded significantly and today
Estoniarsquos 13 million residents can use electronic ID cards to log in to the eestiee portal to vote pay taxes claim unemployment benefits register properties and access more than 815 other public and private e-services The portal is a gateway to public information and services it is user-friendly and secure
91
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Agenda 2020 for EstoniaOnline centralized public service
information system to communicate with citizens
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the state portal is to provide entrepreneurs with entry-level information on their obligations to the state and how they must fulfill them as well as access to public services to the general public through a single window The platform also allows the use of various registry services (commercial register registry of economic activities traffic register etc) The portal is constantly updated and improved with the addition of
new sections or services Ongoing initiatives are related to several aspects of citizens and people lives such as bull the concept of e-residency (also for foreigners wishing to use
Estonian e-services) bull the possibility of establishing a company within an hour
bull making bank transfers within seconds bull participating actively in the management of a company
registered in Estonia bull submitting tax return requests
Financial Model EU structural funds
Results bull The number of users of the platform has grown in the last years bull Currently entrepreneurs and citizens of other 11 foreign
countries can also be authenticated and use Estonian e-services bull The platform contributes extensively to the usability and ease of
use of e-services and thereby it helps to bring the government closer to people Furthermore it helps create awareness of the
availability of e-services as visitors discover new options while browsing it
bull The initiative resulted in a more direct support of inclusive labour markets self-employment and job market
Intermediaries better targeting benefits and services and cost-effective social services meeting the needs of citizens
bull Estoniarsquos experience is also increasing transparency and addressing corruption mismanagement conflicts of interest or ethical issues thanks to the amount of information freely available
Role of ICTs The role of ICT is fundamental the system developed by the government in 2003 called X-Road has been designed to be able
to incorporate innovative applications which has made it possible to constantly update it and enrich it with new tools The system consists of a secure data-access platform connecting existing databases (both public and private) irrespective of their format all the data remain separate and a list of FAQ is in fact the only data X-Road itself maintains
Lessons learned bull The sustainability of the initiative is associated not only to the
will of policymakers but also connected to an increased user
satisfaction bull A number of national governmentsmdashincluding those of Belgium
Germany Italy and the Netherlands as well as a handful of Middle Eastern countriesmdashhave launched or are planning to
launch e-ID card programs
Key Informants Taimar Peterkop - General Director of the Estonian Informatics Centre
92
STRATEGY FOR
DIGITAL
WELFARE
(SDW)
Country Denmark
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group General population older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social care
Started in 2013
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Danish welfare system is based on a strong social citizenship and a guarantee for social rights in case citizens encounter social
problems such as unemployment or sickness As in other Scandinavian countries social innovation in Denmark
is more about supplementing (or improving) existing public sector-led initiatives rather than substituting them In this respect the public sector is pivotal to determine the success or failure of social innovation and for this reason since 2008 the Danish government recognized the use of ICTs as an opportunity to reform its welfare system thus giving more emphasis to the digital delivery of welfare services
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Solutions for health education and social services ensuring effective provision of public sector services
93
Aim of the initiative The aim of the strategy is to accelerate the use of ICT and welfare
technology in frontline public service delivery in order to achieve both a more cohesive welfare system and greater integration across public administrations It consists of a series of initiatives such as bull The dissemination of telemedicine throughout Denmark which
aims to provide citizens with high quality and coherent patient
care bull The welfare technology in nursing and care which aims to
embed digital technologies in the rehabilitation pathway bull The new digital paths in case processing whose aim is to
improve the use of the municipal electronic health records across various sectors of the health care system as well as
across municipal services areas bull The preconditions for digital welfare which aims at
guaranteeing better clarity and flexibility in the tendering process
Financial Model Central financial model for the core costs but not for the local implementation costs The granting of economic support was
conditional on providing a solid and thorough project assessment of the results and efficiency gains for the participating institutions Some funding has come from the Danish Public Welfare Technology Foundation
Results bull New possibilities for citizens to get more actively involved in the
welfare services provision bull Empowerment of many elderly people to live more
autonomously and with greater quality bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for the overall welfare
system in relation to total cost of delivery For instance approximately 59 million euro for the municipal home care service of 375 million euro over a 5 year period for digital
rehabilitation bull The use of a unique eID even when mobile devices are used
together with a digital data sharing system will help in reducing control time and its inaccuracyfallacies
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the health care system promoting an approach innovation-oriented
Role of ICTs Through the use of ICTs the Danish healthcare system aims at increasing home care and thus reducing hospital care Telemedicine is also expected to help prevent acute deterioration in the condition of patients and reduce the number of admissions ICTs solutions such as MedCom messages ensure effective and rapid coordination when sharing information such as discharge
letters prescriptions and referrals
Lessons learned bull A well-functioning broadband and an adequate access to it
should be considered as a precondition for deploying digital welfare solutions
bull Since SDW helps the welfare system with better budgeting administrative processes and reduction of financial costs it
ensures a greater sustainability of the system bull Out of the 25 initiatives 7 are planning to become developed at
a national level bull However SDW hasnrsquot had the spillover yet between the different
initiatives
Key Informants Susanne Duus ndash Team leader of the Agency for Digitalization of the Ministry of Finance
94
DIGITALIZATI
ON OF
SERVICES IN
INPS
Country Italy
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General populationolder people
Target people reached 16 Million
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy and one of the most important in Europe with a significant cash flow
(about 800 billionyear) and one of the largest portfolio of employment and welfare services delivery
Since 2012 an important integration process with respect to pension schemes and social security has been undertaken and its result is that all the major Italian social security institutions are currently merged into INPS following a ldquoclient pathwayrdquo approach Through the 752010 (Extension and expansion of telematics services offered by INPS to the citizens) and the 1692010 (Full
digitalisation of the submission process of benefits requests) internal notes INPS started a gradual and complex process of digitalization based on a multi-channel system for delivering services by using IT exclusively
95
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digitalization and automation of the relationship between the
Public Administration and citizens in reducing digital divide and improving the accessibility of services
Aim of the initiative Thus the expected results of the initiative Digitalization of services in INPS were bull Improved efficiency of the internal production processes through
the automation of some phases of the investigation leading to a great savings of resources
bull Improved quality of work of staff currently engaged in data-entry activities
bull Reduced time needed to submit applications with benefits for both citizens and the Institute
bull Increased service quality through the improvement of the data quality due to the digitalization of the information (thanks to quality and formal controls of the information directly when inserted)
bull Decreased costs of services arising from the potential savings on paper communication towards citizens
Financial Model Public service funding Government Regional Local Authorities non-profit public entities etc
Results The digitalisation and automation of the service delivery model
brought about a great innovation of the overall Italian social security systems and facilitated the access to INPS services for every citizen bull Modernisation of the Social protection system allowed not only
efficiency gains but also new and more effective monitoring processes
bull Massive increase in usage of the online services Increase in of
user awareness on the services offered and certainty of their expected benefits and acquired rights
bull More standardize service model with respect to quality level thus addressing regional (NorthSouth) inequality of service
Lessons learned bull The next 3 years will see the implementation of a
comprehensive framework of measures to upgrade the services offered by the Institute
bull The deployment of ICTs in the INPS reform has been considered by many stakeholders a great success and a best practice to be scaled up and replicated Indeed
bull INPS is the leader of an international consortium EU-China social protection reform project and will assist the Chinese
government in modernising its social security system
Role of ICTs Reengineering of the service delivery method possible by the use of ICTs which allowed access to servicesproducts without mediation by local offices ICTs played a crucial role for the success of the initiative since
multi-channel digitization dematerialization and offshoring were achievable only through ICT innovation Today all types of INPS services are available online and payable
through multi-channels
Key Informants Antonio De Luca Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Ettore Fusco Deputy Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Patrizia Maria Ester DAndrea and Francesca Arbitrio team leaders within the Planning and Control Central Directorate of INPS
96
EXPRESS TRAIN
TO EMPLOYMENT
(EXTE)
Welfare to Work
programme
Country Poland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Unemployed
Target people reached 1000
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Welfare to Work (W2W) programme was introduced in Poland as a follow-up to the recent Labour Act reform to deal with a
stagnating labour force participation and a fairly high government deficit (33 in 2014 up from the 28 target of 2015)
The Polish Government was under pressure to introduce innovative welfare provisions which could combine a social system approach traditionally more open to public-private partnership and an innovative use of information management for servicesrsquo organization which could maximize efficiency of the system The W2W programme together with innovative data modelling constitutes the bulk of the Express Train to
Employment (ExTE) pilot project which aimed to improve the engagement and activation of long-term unemployed people in the region of Malopolska Conditional to its success the initiative was then to be scaled up and extended to other regions first and the rest of the country later
97
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Labour Act Reform addressing the problem of long-term
unemployment in the Krakow Region
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the ExTE project was to enhance the mechanisms to help reducing the levels of unemployment rates Under this overarching goal the specific objectives were bull Achieving sustainable employment for at least 35 of the
participants bull Raising the employability of participants in the project bull Disseminating information about services offered to those
unemployed bull Establishing partnerships following the British model (W2W) in
order to identify and develop synergies and effective solutions that could then be scaled-up nationally
Results-based financing was one of the main mechanisms used to compensate operators and stakeholders involved in addition
ExTE saw the inclusion of non-public agents that could offer a variety of knowledge and additional resources
Financial Model The initiative driven by a public- private partnership is implemented with the support of the European Social Fund The service model that was used in this initiative is based on the exploitation of the ability of the private sector to find jobs for the
long-term unemployed
Results The pilot program in the region of Krakow reached significant results both in terms of securing employment for participants and uncovering jobs that had not been publicly advertised bull About 66 of registered users found a job within the first 6
month of participation compared to only 20 of individuals in the control group
bull More than half of the participants (52) had at least one job offer vs only 30 workers in the control group
bull The project was more successful in matching individualsrsquo skills
and competences with jobs bull Updated model of outsourcing employment services through
non-public providers bull A framework of legislative recommendations was produced as
results of the model proposed within the initiative with the aim to be included in the Labour Act
bull The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy introduced a series of amendments in the regulations of the labour market including a new system of profiling the unemployed
Role of ICTs ICTs supported and facilitated existing processes contributing to improve the organisational mechanisms of employment service provisions through bull The creation of a new data model to facilitate matching between
demand and supply of workforce
bull The creation of databases enabling a coordinated planning of activities
Lessons learned bull The government is planning to replicate the initiative in other
regions of the country bull The transferability of the model is demonstrated by the fact that
the W2W initiatives are already implemented in Britain Australia
and the Netherlands bull More needs to be done to ensure that participants stay in
employment for longer for instance by providing additional training and education
Key Informants AMartynuska Director Regional Labour Office in Krakow
98
LITTLE BIRD Country Germany
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public-private partnership
Type of initiative Service
Target group Children mothers families
Target people reached 5000 kindergartens
Main PSSGI Childcare
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Similarly to many EU countries Germany incremented its focus on family-friendly policies to promote gender equality and increase
female participation in the labour market by fostering family friendly policies such as extended maternity and paternity leave
Despite recent progress however Germany still lags behind countries such as France Denmark or Sweden which offer a vast range of childcare initiatives and spend a higher proportion of family benefits on services Indeed childcare provision in Germany is still hindered by three main issues gender inequality in the number of hours of care provided high cost of childcare services and shortage of qualified childcare staff
The Little Bird initiative commissioned by the government and implemented by private partners was born to address the management of available resources regarding childcare services It allows the effective and efficient administration of childcare places for parents providers and public administrations
99
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Child care service delivery- providing parents with support in the
kindergarten selection and location process
Aim of the initiative The main objective of Little Bird was to facilitate equal access to infant education to all children through an interactive process that maps out the entire range of administration functions for the allocation of childcare services Its aim was to provide a safe and convenient solution in the region in which it would operate across the boundaries of municipalities in the search allocation and administration of
childcare services In terms of social innovation Little Bird aims to meet the needs of families government public and private providers by monitoring and allocating in a transparent way the kindergarten places of children In terms of ICT innovation Little Bird is a sustained and organizational ICT- enabled social innovation which improves
organizational and administrative processes of the kindergartenrsquos place allocation Providers can plan and monitor their resources on demand families get an overview of all childcare services (privately and publicly owned) and the available vacancies for child care services
Financial Model Public-Private Partnership co-financed by the Investitionbank
Berlin as well as by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Results The platform provides comprehensive information about
institutions childcare facilities and vacancies and provides the necessary transparency to all parts involved It delivered benefits both for the parents and for the municipalities through bull Optimization of the internal administrative processes bull Highly customized childcare services meeting citizens
requirements
bull Reduced response time to the users between application and final outcome
bull Increased cost-effectiveness bull More productive administrative staff bull Better quality of childcare services provided
Role of ICTs Little Bird is Germanyrsquos first eGovernment solution with an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services Through the use of a web application Little Bird centralizes the challenging and tedious process of searching and applying for available local childcare and decentralizes the childcare allocation process throughout
bull ICTs help optimizing the search registration and allocation process while at the same time generating more transparency and better services
Lessons learned bull Little Bird is an innovative example of a public service opening
up to the private sector primarily through the use of a web application
bull Since the solution is only a software product its model can be easily replicated in other contexts All components in the installation are highly modular therefore highly customizable to any local requirement
bull As far as scalability is concerned Little Bird is currently implemented in 60 German municipalities and will be integrated
in other 25 administrations
Key Informants Bernd Klosterkemper Investment Director Ananda Ventures
100
PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE - PES
Country Netherlands
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed (mainly with disabilities)
Target people reached 285 million visitors in 2013
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Dutch Public Employment Service is part of the UWV
(Employee Insurance Agency) and has as a main objective helping
people to find jobs and re-integrate in society through matching supply of work and demand of labour The modernization of the Public Employment Service (PES) in the Netherlands involved the introduction and the optimization of an online environment
(Intranet) which can be used by all employees and managers of UWV WERKbedrijf without any password requirements This management tool is the ldquoMijn Informatie Portaalrsquo
PES recognizes the pivotal need to optimize performance in the area of employment reintegration temporary income and data management and participation of people in work and society
Policy program
supporting the
Employee Insurance Implementation Institution is the public
institution that implements unemployment insurance benefits sickness benefits employment services to the insured people
101
initiative
Aim of the initiative PESrsquo objectives are set in accordance with the government along
with annual agreements and in cooperation with labour market partners like municipalities employers and temporary employment agencies
The core aim is to facilitate the match between supply and demand in the labour market and to support as high a number of citizens as possible to find employment and reintegrate with society The new 2010 Dutch Government established that the new policy on public employment services was going to
bull Empower citizens and employers in the labour market
bull Reduce face to face interaction to 10 of the clients bull Reform the PES so that 90 of the services will be delivered
using digital means and interaction
Financial Model Publicly funded
Results Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online
interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is steadily increasing
The modernisation process has resulted in increased efficiency and accountability at all levels of the PES and in improved outcomes for jobseekers
bull PES exceeded the target for 2013 in terms of the percentage (90) of people claiming benefits through the online platform reaching 95 of the those who use wwwwerknl for unemployment benefits
bull One of the key points of the modernization brought by PES is the accelerated development of the online werknl service for
job seekers
Role of ICTs The initiative contributed significantly to increasing the efficiency
and reliability of data flows
Data are available on national regional sub-regional (lsquoofficersquo) and
individual employee level Every week new data are added Most data are cumulative The technique being used is lsquoOnline Analytical Processingrsquo (OLAP) This technique makes it possible to generate and construct user defined tables with a web-based tool
bull Thanks to the support of ITC tools and the electronic submission and centralization of data the PESrsquo initiative also played a key role in uncovering 65500 violations of the workforce obligations and upon 97400 cases
Lessons learned bull The automation of the process and the higher digitization of
services have made the delivery system financially and socially sustainable
bull Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is
steadily increasing bull Despite the rise of unemployment and the transition to online
services PES was able to stay within their own budget being their regular operating costs 85 lower than what was budgeted for 2013
Key Informants Ronald Van Bekkum UWV Dutch PES
102
POcircLE EMPLOI
100 WEB
Country France
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 63 million subscribers
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background According to the National Reform Program (2014) the national 2020 Target for the Reduction of Poverty and Social Exclusion is
to ldquoreduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 1900000 (baseline year 2007)rdquo
However the economic downturn has prevented the achievement of this target due to rising unemployment rates (up to 102 in 2016 well above its 2008 value of 74) The French Public Employment Service Pocircle Emploi launched a 100 Web initiative to provide free e-support services to jobseekers across France to boost employability and employment The initiative addresses policy goals in the fields of modernizing
social protection systems and implementing active inclusion strategies The 100 Web initiative is part of the ldquoguidedrdquo tutoring provided by Pocircle Emploi in order to better meet the needs of jobseekers personalized employment support services The
103
tutoring is based on the regular support in the job search by
physical telephone conversations or e-mail for those who need regular support The 100 Web services was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Pocircle emploi Strategic Plan 2020 ldquoEnsemble Innovons pour lrsquoEmploirdquo
Aim of the initiative In 2013 Pocircle emploi launched a targeted 100 Web initiative to provide free e-services for jobseekers considered to be quite close to the labour market but in need of support in France 100 Web is embedded in a long-term public strategy of Pocircle Emploi revolving around four areas bull Reinforcing counseling services in order to improve access to job
vacancies
bull Engaging with employers through advisors who inform them
about the services provided by the public sector and external private providers
bull Improving the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers by enhancing physical facilities transparency in processes digital access and access in rural areas
bull Making Pocircle Emploi closer to local needs and realities working
with the State regions and social sector partners
Financial Model The initiative 100 Web is funded by internal resources of Pocircle emploi Pocircle Emploirsquos annual budget funding for interventions and operation and investments were provided by a government contribution of UNEDIC where appropriate grants from local
authorities public bodies and any other income were authorized by regulations
Results bull The service has improved beneficiariesrsquo digital skills and
increased employment opportunities helping to fight digital exclusion reducing social isolation and supporting social
interaction
bull Positive effect on youth inclusion and in the inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations (in particular those living in rural remote or isolated areas) where the initiative aims at improving the access and the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers
Role of ICTs bull Pocircle Emplois web solution is a disruptive transformative
innovation using ICT in the form of an integrated web-based to deliver education training job searching networking and support services for jobseekers and employers in France
bull The ICTs tools contribute to an open process of co-creation of employment and employability e-services based on the interaction between jobseekers and counselors thus enabling
the effective collaboration with the potential employees employers businesses in order to jointly develop implement and adopt employment and employability e-services
Lessons learned bull The 100 Web service was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions
before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015 The future goal is to develop the initiative in a
more comprehensive trying to broaden the audience to which it is addressed
bull The transferability of the initiative is guaranteed by the fact that the digitization strategy of the measures proposed is not associated to French specificities
Key Informants Anne-Leone Campanella and Jean-Philippe Spector Pocircle emploi
104
BADALONA
SERVEIS
ASSISTENCIALS
ndash BSA
Country Spain
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people people with disabilities
Target people reached 2015000 people
Main PSSGI Integrated health- and social care
Started in 2000
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The ageing population and the sustainability of the Catalonian National Public Health System linked to the Social Service System
are some of the factors that motivated the BSA initiative In 2000 the local government of Badalona in Catalonia decided to
merge health and social care provisions into a single organization to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision This at the time unprecedented endeavour of fully integrating under a single governance structure and into a single organization the provision of health and social care ndash from administrative service delivery and clinical perspective ndash faced very serious challenges but gradually the Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)
accomplished that Today it is operational on the full scale and funded entirely by public money it has about 1200 employees who provide integrated health and social care and manages home care for the inhabitants of the City of Badalona roughly 215 thousand people
105
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Integration of social and healthcare policy
Aim of the initiative The main aim of the initiative was to improving efficiency and quality of care provision while at the same time better addressing unmet needs and overall ensuring continuity of care by eliminating overlapping and duplication in services The integration of health and social care would also bull Be organised around the person and provided by a team of
multi-disciplinary professionals
bull Generate a better coordinated more efficient and simplified governance at the City council
Financial Model BSA is an integrated private care organisation entirely funded by public capital Public Insurance pays for health services while the municipality budget covers social care
Results The initiative contributed to the following improvements
bull better coordination between the different levels of care bull better communication and information flows among BSA
providers and other third parties providers in and around Badalona
bull improvements in the organisational and decision making
processes bull a portfolio of innovative services including telemonitoring and
telecare services bull a higher level of quality of care with greater control and better
results for the population bull more efficient care delivery and the modernisation and
improvement of services bull early discharge from hospitals reduced workload for the staff
reduced care costs for the city council
Role of ICTs Operationally the ICT-solutions made it possible to bull merge the organisations
bull harmonise processes needs assessment protocols and care
provision bull interlink the databases and bull plan track and evaluate the operations of the new entity
providing integrated care bull Nevertheless planning creating launching and operating the
harmonised approach were a gradual process
Lessons learned bull The sustainability and scalability of the initiative can be better
ensured by the structured involvement of third sector providers such as volunteer organisations NGOs patient associations etc Such stakeholders can help in filling the gap arising from the lack of public investments and play a crucial role in providing the right cultural environment
bull The initiative is likely to be scalable and transferable since it has been designed taking this dimension into consideration from the very beginning However they may be funding issues In
addition there are some legacy systems that are unique there but overall others can learn from their experiences
bull In order to pursue feasible and reliable innovation patters it is crucial to identify appropriate partners to cooperate with For
instance European funded projects are a great environment to meet relevant and committed partners
Key Informants Jordi Piera - CIO and RampDampI Officer at BSA
106
ACTION
(ASSISTING
CARERS USING
TELEMATICS
INTERVENTIONS TO
MEET OLDER
PEOPLErsquoS NEEDS)
Country Sweden
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public Private
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 1997
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Swedish welfare for older people involves three levels of government
bull National level policy priorities and directives are discussed and passed
bull Regional level county councils are responsible for providing healthcare
bull Local level municipalities are responsible for providing the bulk of social services and housing needs for older people
Care for the elderly is characterized by the key role played by local authorities which decide on how best to organize the provision Private care services accounted for 24 of all elderly
people getting home help in 2013 however privatization of the health care services in Swedish municipalities has steadily increased In Sweden community care policy is based on the principle of ldquoageing in placerdquo which assumes that the majority of older people
107
would prefer to remain in their own homes ICT services can help
to improve the flexibility of caregiver support as well as the quality of life of older family carers by easing their burden helping them to stay healthier and improving the quality of the care they provide
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
ACTION is a knowledge based initiative supporting elderly people and carers and social Inclusion
Aim of the initiative ACTION was an EU-funded research and development technology project that aimed to help informal carers to meet older peoplersquos needs by using Telematics (ACTION) (1997ndash2000) The overall objective of ACTION is to act as a support system It has four main integrated components bull Multi-media educational programmes based on the needs of
carers and older people
bull ACTION station A personal computer with Internet connection
used to make oral and visual contact with the families of other participants and care practitioners
bull ACTION call centre It is used to maintain regular contact with families to ensure that care for the older person is satisfactorily managed
bull Education and supervision Families take part in an initial
education programme which teaches them how to use the ICT-based service The call centre staff runs small group education sessions which enable participants to get acquainted with each other and subsequently initiate videophone contact
Financial Model This service was initially funded through the Fourth Framework
Programme (1997-2000) and was coordinated by the University of Borarings Since 2000 research development and evaluation have been funded by different grants and the municipalities finance the service by buying it from ACTION
Results The benefits of the initiative have been demonstrated by a
number of studies
bull Both the older people and their family carers said their everyday quality of life was enhanced They became less isolated and more socially included
bull Informal carers were also more independent in their tasks and responsibility they felt more competent and they reported better health and lower stress levels
bull The service had the effect of decreasing healthcare costs while
maintaining a high standard of service and boosting the sustainability of the health and social care systems Cost savings estimated at euro23256 per family
Role of ICTs bull ACTIONrsquos capacity of effectively using ICT-enabled social
innovation has produced significant changes in the carersrsquo lives
by helping to reduce their work-load and their responsibilities for the older person
bull It has increased the monitoring and counselling provided to the
family carers by professional carers bull It has also increased self-management and empowered the
users through specifically designed online courses and by sharing information on caring best practices in real time These
services are readily accessible by family carers from home
Lessons learned bull In 2004 ACTION became a mainstream service in the Borarings
municipality in 2012 25 other municipalities tested the system but did not implement it because they lacked resources
bull The ACTION project has a high level of standardization and can
be easily implemented by other Member States
Key Informants Lennart Magnusson - Director of Swedish family care center
108
SOUTH KARELIA
DISTRICT OF
SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES
(EKSOTE)
Country Finland
Strength of Evidence Weak
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Older people (aged 75+) carers
Target people reached 31000
Main PSSGI Integrated Health and Social Care
Started in 2010
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Before the EKSOTE programme started operating in 1996 hospitals in the region were significantly overloaded This had a
negative impact on the quality of the service provided particularly for disabled and elderly people whose access to follow-up care
was badly managed The previous governance system of social care provision was plagued with recurrent delays and coordination issues The Finnish health care system is structured around municipality-based units which have assumed responsibility for primary care and region-based units which absolve other functions related to health care organization and coordination with the national level
In 1997 the AQP (AssessQualify-Place ) operations units centralized patient follow-up care in order to speed up the process of allocating this type of care to patients who had been discharged from the central hospital In 2010 EKSOTE started to manage all the social and health care services in nine municipalities With the
109
implementation of EKSOTE the traditional division between
primary and secondary care structures disappeared (at least in the EKSOTE municipalities) As compared to traditional ways of delivering social security services EKSOTE places a higher priority on assessing service needs and providing advisory and instructional services in alternative forms For example it has put in place a mobile and
internet health service network (an ICT-enabled social innovation)
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Finnish country wide ICT policy also related to the European Digital Agenda
Aim of the initiative The objective of EKSOTE was to improve the coordination among social service providers and improve the quality of service It also aimed to provide equal access to social and health care
services to all citizens in the region it operates in across the
boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care process
Financial Model Public funding By spending on rehabilitation and preventive action South Karelia has been able to achieve better cost effectiveness
Results The improved integration and coordination of social services provision has brought the following benefits bull improvement of access and take-up bull simplification of administration bull better targeted and personalised services
bull cost-effectiveness of social services which meet the needs of citizens
Role of ICTs EKSOTE implemented a process of digitalization in the South Karelia Region starting from 2010 bull Thanks to its innovative use of a centralized placement service
(AssessQualify-Place or AQP) it has contributed to better
targeted more appropriate and personalized quality service bull In addition to AQP another fundamental feature of EKSOTE is
the creation of the Business Intelligence Model (BIM)Data for BIM are collected from several sources and can be used to predict demand service planning user analysis and the calculation of indicators
bull The EKSOTE BIM plays an important role for the management
system in social and health care system as it allows the common and regional indicators to combine the user groups and measure the usage of services and especially to report and analyse the data classified in a new way
Lessons learned bull The initiative has been considered a best practice and the
government the piloting system takes advantage of components that are already in use in most social and healthcare sector organizations and does not require major hardware or software investments or any changes to the overall
system architecture bull EKSOTE has been promoted by the Finnish government which is
trying to scale out the initiative to a nationwide level In this
respect many municipalities are visiting EKSOTE office so as to study the initiative and replicate it within their territories
bull The methodology underpinning the initiative shows a high degree of transferability of the experience to other European contexts
Key Informants Merja Tepponen - Chief Development Officer of Health and Social care Department
110
PATHWAY
ACCOMMODATION
AND SUPPORT
SYSTEM (PASS)
Country Ireland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Homeless
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social housing
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is a complex social problem and there is no simple solution The primary need of homeless people is appropriate long‐term housing In conjunction with this need for housing
many homeless people also have physical health mental health
addiction andor other support needs that must be addressed in order for them to be able to stop being homeless In Ireland the health services and local authorities share responsibility for the provision of shelter support and housing for homeless people The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 addresses the needs of homeless citizens in Ireland and outlines a statutory
obligation for local authorities to have an action plan and to set up a Homelessness Consultative Forum and a Statutory Management Group The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has overall responsibility for the planning development and coordination of
111
homeless and related housing and support services in the Dublin
region and is responsible for the statutory funding across the spectrum of services that comprise the Pathway to Home model of service
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
National Homeless Strategy The Way Home
Aim of the initiative PASS is a client management system for homeless service users
that also aims to provide to the public authorities and other stakeholders involved statistical information on homelessness and use of related services in order to bull monitor the effectiveness of the strategy bull identify emerging trends related to homelessness bull monitor and improve service delivery helping the agencies to
work together to provide a continuum of care and integrate
service delivery
bull plan the development of future services
Financial Model The PASS System is financed by DRHE resources from two main sources i) Section 10 funding from Central Government (DECLG) to local authorities under the 1998 Housing Act combined with a
contribution (at 10) of funding directly from each local authorityrsquos revenue streams and ii) the Health Service Executive - a central funder of homeless services in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programmes
Results bull PASS has allowed DRHE to increase efficiency of bed occupancy
to a rate of 99 of capacity by sharing information between all the agencies that support homeless people
bull DRHErsquos initial target to create 700 tenancies in 2014 was exceeded and 792 tenancies were created
bull According to the Homeless Authority of Dublin the PASS
platform can effectively support the decision-making process on
capital investment in housing provision bull Access to real-time data has allowed authorities and other
stakeholders providing services to the homeless to deliver higher quality services to respond effectively to the target usersrsquo needs and to optimize financial and human resources
Role of ICTs ICT-enabled social innovation has produced substantial
improvements in the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the social service delivery models It has played a dual role bull As an enabling factor as it facilitates a better cost-effective
partnership between all public and private stakeholders involved in the process of delivering social housing services
bull As a ldquogame-changer access to real-time data helps all actors
involved (public and private) to understand analyse and respond in a qualitatively better and more cost-efficient way
Lessons learned bull In terms of scalability PASS will be developed to become a new
lsquocloudrsquo technological computing system bull Further development of a specific data strategy is needed in
order to ensure the success of this initiative at national level
Key Informants Daacuteithiacute Downey Deputy Director Head of Policy and Service Delivery Dublin Region Homeless Executive Ireland
112
TELECARE
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME IN
SCOTLAND (TDP)
Country United Kingdom (Scotland)
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Regional (National)
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group Older people
Target people reached 45000
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 2006 (ended in 2011)
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background In Scotland a growing incidence of disability and long-term illness brought about the requirement for health and care service
support Between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 the Scottish Governmentrsquos expenditure on the people aged 60 and over
increased by 5 per annum in real terms to pound51 billion a year The Scottish government established that care of frailer older people with continuing health problems should focus on better support for them at home To this end it focused strongly on the development of telecare and telehealth The Scottish Telecare Development Programme (TDP) was a funding initiative run by Scottish Government between 2006 and
2011 to drive the adoption of telecare by local health and social care services The strategy was to stimulate Scottish local partnerships to redesign existing home care services with a two-step funding programme The main actors comprised the housing and social care departments of the Local Authorities and the local
113
NHS Boards that represent the health care professionals in charge
of community-based health service provisioning Together they promoted and designed the telecare initiative to be funded by the National Government and helped drive its implementation in the local contexts The Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT) was established to support and guide the development of telehealth and telecare throughout Scotland
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) for Scotland was launched in August 2006 as a policy initiative
Aim of the initiative The objective of the TDP funding initiative was to stimulate the 32 Scottish local health and care partnerships (made up of local Health Boards and Local Authorities) to develop and mainstream telecare services Its main objectives could be summarized as follows
bull Increase the productivity of social protection systems and of
healthcare delivery including formal and informal care bull Increase the sustainability of the social protection system
particularly by reducing the number of avoidable admissions to care homes
bull Increase the quality of services for both carers and users bull Support system integration
bull Reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty and disability among older people through disease prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
bull Facilitate hospital discharge bull Increase self-care and independent living at home
Financial Model Two-step funding programme in 2006-2008 awarded to the initiatives that addressed the specification of the bid in 2008-2011 to the initiatives which were satisfactorily developed Development support was also offered through the Scottish Governmentrsquos Joint Improvement Team (JIT) to those
partnerships that were not progressing as planned
Results The TDPrsquos effects were comprehensively assessed throughout the programme bull Informal carers felt that telecare had reduced pressurestress
and facilitated greater independence for users bull 60 of users reported improvements to their quality of life bull Patients were discharged faster from hospital while the number
of emergency admissions was reduced
bull The single biggest saving was coming from the avoided care home admissions estimated cost savings for the sector of approximately euro 954 million at 2011 prices
bull Telecare could efficiently address the special caring needs of people living with dementia
Role of ICTs bull ICTs played an important role in the deployment and
mainstreaming of the services across Scottish territory interoperability problems constituted important barriers to the
development and sustainability of the services
Lessons learned bull In the more successful TDP initiatives now mainstreamed in
their local communities Community Health Partnerships played
a fundamental role in ensuring cooperation bull Considering the high initial investment costs the replication and
expansion of the initiative to similar contexts is regarded as a key factor for its sustainability
Key Informants Donna Henderson European Engagement Manager Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and Telecare NHS 24 Doreen Watson Telecare Consultant Joint Improvement Team Scottish Government
114
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Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 () The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may
charge you)
More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm) from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) () () The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
KJ-N
A-2
8570-E
N-N
doi102760256658
ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8
2
Table of contents
Executive summary 3
1 Introduction 8
11 Policy background 8
12 The IESI Research 8
13 This report 10
2 Methodology 11
21 Research design 11
22 Literature review 12
23 Case studies 12
3 Review of the state of the art 15
31 Social protection systems in Europe 15
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services 19
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision 27
4 Cases overview 33
41 Main characteristics 33
42 Areas of focus across the case studies 37
5 Results from cross-case analysis 40
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems 40
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success 47
53 Evidence of impact on service integration 50
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives 54
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed 61
6 Conclusions 64
61 Key results 64
62 Policy implications 66
63 Future research 68
References 70
List of abbreviations and definitions 83
List of tables 84
List of figures 85
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies 86
3
Executive summary
This report provides an overview of the results of the analysis of selected case studies on
how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting social investment can contribute to the
modernisation of social protection systems in the European Union The case studies have
been identified and analysed as part of the research project entitled ldquoICT-Enabled Social
Innovation to support the implementation of the Social Investment Packagerdquo (IESI)
conducted by the European Commissionacutes Joint Research Centre in collaboration with the
Directorate General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
Objectives
This report aims to explore (i) the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled
social innovations that have been implemented and the broader social protection system in
which they are embedded in and (ii) the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives which promote social investment to support the modernisation of social
protection systems in EU Member States
Building on the results of three rounds of systematic literature reviews made by Misuraca
et al 2017 the main contribution of this explorative attempt is to provide qualitative
evidence that goes beyond the already well-studied relationship between ICTs and generic
public service modernisation reforms as it specifically investigate and shed lights on social
protection systems which are under researched when it comes to the contribution made by
ICT-enabled social innovation Therefore the aim of the report is to provide empirical
support to help member States in their reform endeavours
Through the cross analysis of fourteen in-depth case studies drawn from different Member
States and which represents different welfare models the report identifies the potential
implications for policies at local national and EU level Together the case studies cover all
the various Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) although most of the
initiatives analysed involved more than one social service according to the peculiarities of
the services offered and their levels of integration The table below presents the list of the
selected case studies and related area of service provided
Initiative Country Social services addressed
A Book for a Roof Croatia Education and training - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Badalona Assistance Services Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Crossroads Bank for Social Security Belgium Social care - Social assistance ndash Employment - Civic engagement
Digitalisation of social security services
Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
Poland Employment - Employability
Little bird Germany Childcare
National Telecare Development Programme
Scotland UK Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Online Point of Single Contact Estonia
Civic engagement Social care Social assistance ndash Childcare - Education and training - Social housing ndash Employment - Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web France Employment - Employability
Reform of employee insurance implementation institution
Netherlands Employment ndash Employability - Social assistance
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Strategy for Digital Welfare Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
4
Methodology
Once completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds 50 promising cases out of the 300 initiatives identified by the IESI
mapping exercise have been selected The criteria used for the selection included
geographical coverage representativeness of the different welfare systems coverage of all
the relevant thematic areas (derived from a revisited typology of PSSGI)
representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders (public private and third
sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis Through the first step each initiative was analysed
according to two criteria (relevance and complexity) in order to capture its potential
systemic impact This allowed giving a numerical score to different sub-parameters for
each of the 50 initiatives Through the second step of the selection process the IESI
analytical framework has been applied While the ICT-enabled innovation potential was
used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo
cluster (incremental and sustained innovation) and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster
(disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of governance of service integration was
used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with the highest level of governance)
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis The figure below
shows the geographic coverage of the analysed case studies
In each case we analysed the main social innovation elements the potential for ICT-
enabled innovation the levels of governance and type of service integration the impact
evaluation carried out and the degree of sustainability and possible transferability
5
Results
The case studies provide useful insights into the factors that have been critical to an
initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social innovation They also show how
these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of the Social Investment
Package
With regard to the first SIPs objective ie modernizing social protection systems
spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable protection
many initiatives by building a collaborative innovation network between public agencies or
departments reshaped the governance model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach In particular the exploitation of ICTs generated new
public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the
traceability of information flows and the fight against fraud The contribution ICTs make to
the modernization of social protection system lies mainly in their ability to minimize the
administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
With regard to the second SIPs objective ie implementing active inclusion strategies
investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve their integration into society and the
labour market the combination of employment information management and ICT training
allows the production process of services to be redesigned This can improve integration
opportunities within society and also help to include disadvantaged people into the labour
market The integration of services enabled by the use of ICTs empowers people
especially the homeless older people and the more fragile by improving their skills and
ability to live independently at home or to find jobs It also helps to improve the quality of
life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their caregivers Moreover equal access to
social and health care services for all citizens across the boundaries of municipalities
directly increases the inclusiveness of social protection systems
With regard to the third SIPs objective ie investing in individuals throughout their lives
ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments
during their lives it has been recognised that skills and active inclusion strategies offering
psycho-social support can boost beneficiariesrsquo motivation and respond to their needs at
critical moments in their lives Moreover ICTs can often contribute to changing service
delivery models making them more beneficiary-centric They can also reduce the risk of
unsuitable or undue benefits by formulating innovative responses to peoples changing
needs They can also personalize services which is especially important in the field of
employment support services Here they can improve the match between job demand and
offer and also aggregate job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations
The case study analysis allowed us to spot some major social issues in which ICTs can
offer ndash and indeed are already offering ndashimportant support without structural or wider
reforms The analysis showed that ICTs can help to modernise social protection systems
mainly by contributing to the sustainability of welfare systems
Some of the cases analysed demonstrate that ICTs contribute to solving the structural
imbalance between emerging and growing social needs and the decreasing or limited
financial resources available In particular the use of ICTs can help social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected by
different health and social conditions and require multiple services technological
advances have made it possible to link information across programme areas and to
identify individuals with complex needs and hence target them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used to
having access to information and services through web and mobile devices new
digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with service
providers across a range of industries including the social services and more generally
the welfare area
6
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour market
participation of all members of the working-age population a new wave of welfare-to-
work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments trying to reduce
demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from finding sustained
employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and demand
Handle budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to widespread public
sector austerity measures in many developed economies these pressures mean that
service integration and optimisation are becoming increasingly attractive options for
governments looking for higher cost effectiveness in service delivery allocating higher
percentages of resources and incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated to
the most effective and efficient initiatives they must be scaled up or transferred to
other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics functionalities allow to
leverage the evidence collected and better allocate resources on the basis of the
specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information regarding the
policy interventions undertaken and its results this data can then be shared in order
to inform policy makers and support the decision making process to develop or adapt
future policies
Policy and research implications
The results of the cross-analysis of case studies allowed us to define a set of policy
implications that can help policy makers to drive social change
In order to reap all the benefits of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives some
contextual and complementary policy initiatives are needed This mainly points to the need
of addressing required administrative changes and financial support initiatives especially
in the perspective of a more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social
innovation
Most of the case studies confirmed that ICTs are a crucial but not sufficient condition for
ICT-enabled social innovation to fully realise its potential Other enabling factors must
come into play for instance
Workforce development the empowerment of workers and job seekers requires
investment in their skills and competences They must also be given new and flexible
ways of participating in the labour market Employers and public institutions must
invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation working groups They must also
envisage joint training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and
fill any skills gaps that may arise This requires the creation of new roles and a review
of existing jobs to adapt them to the changing environment and the evolving needs of
the workforce
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third sector
providers should be promoted and the development of innovative initiatives
facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for the integration and
scaling up of these practices into actual processes
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms seem to be efficient in
promoting coordinated interventions to address common and shared social problems
in an outcome-oriented approach Other financial schemes such as acutepersonal
budgetsacute produce effective incentives because they enable users and case managers
to freely purchase the desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they
foster the creation of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are
closer to the needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms could encourage
integration and collaboration among different service providers
7
Finally the introduction of ICTs should be combined with the re-engineering of
organizational structures and a cultural shift towards embracing social innovation In
particular these two further directions are related to the simplification of services
procedures through an open-government approach and the use of the European Structural
and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
With regard to the simplification of procedures the increase in information and knowledge
exchange and in openness and transparency provide new opportunities for public
administrations to offer user-friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs
and the administrative burden An open government approach can encourage this
transformation by opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration in the
design production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and decisions
enhance transparency accountability and trust in government
With respect to the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to further
finance ICT-based developments in the social sector it should be considered that National
and regional authorities are in charge of defining their strategies and operational
programmes for enhancing territorial development and social cohesion which form the
basis for delivering EU structural funds Local institutions can play a proactive role in both
the allocation of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-
financing requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another strengthening knowledge
exchange across the EU
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect future research directions
Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes has also
been recognised as a strategy in support of social policy innovation initiatives and it could
be interesting to explore this further since it could offer the policy maker new
organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business models effectively
contribute to social change
Therefore it is important to answer the question whether social policy innovation
strategies especially ICT-enabled ones can be embedded in policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other terms it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular can be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox At the same
time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies will not be the
panacea for all welfare state challenges rather one of the social protection layers of future
welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the modernisation of welfare
systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as supplementary
minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits schemes
Nevertheless and according to the results of this research social policy innovation
initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an important role represent an important
means of modernising social protection systems ICTs need to be used as part of a broader
strategy designed and led by the public sector which becomes an even more important
actor and will also take on the task of coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
8
1 Introduction
11 Policy background
The 2008 crisis and the growing inequalities which followed have highlighted the
limitations of the current European social and welfare model Policymakers have tackled
the economic and societal challenges by redistributing resources through the taxation
system and granting special benefits to those in need however at the same time they
acknowledge that the European Social Model needs to be modernised
Many experts have proposed new ideas and new solutions for the challenges faced by
European welfare systems This general rethinking of prevailing socio-economic views and
perspectives has led to the emergence of two interrelated quasi-concepts social
investment and social innovation In spite of their theoretical and conceptual limitations
these terms have proven to be powerful tools for shaping policy outcomes
This trend was enhanced at EU level by the adoption of the Social Investment Package
(SIP)1 in 2013 The EC Communication Towards Social Investment for Growth and
Cohesion2 calls for social services to be designed fairly in a thoughtful and personalized
manner so as to provide equal access to those entitled In addition the SIP
Communication urges EU Member States to prioritise social investment and the
modernisation of their welfare systems in order to address unemployment poverty and
social exclusion brought about by the economic crisis and also the challenges to the
sustainability of social welfare systems posed by an ageing population
The SIP focuses on social innovation (Jenson 2015) as a means of providing ways of
improving the efficiency and adequacy of social policies and their effectiveness in
addressing societal challenges It also facilitates life-long investment in human capital The
European Commission has already emphasized the importance of embedding social
innovation in policy-making processes and connecting innovation policy to priorities It has
paid particular attention to the appropriate use of EU funds to support the implementation
of successful policy innovation (EU 2013 Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) It is
recognised that the potential of social innovation is further increased by the growing range
of available innovative solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) However it seems that ICT-based solutions only materialize rapidly on the ground
when specific efforts are made to encourage their use in social innovation
12 The IESI Research
In this context the European Commissions DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
(DG EMPL) and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre joined forces to conduct
a research project entitled ICT-enabled Social Innovation in support to the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
The key goal of IESI is to support the implementation of the EU Social Investment Package
(SIP) by investigating how ICT-enabled Social Innovation can support social investment
policies3
1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council the European and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion See httpeceuropaeusocialmainjspcatId=1044
2 EC COM (2013) 83 httpeur-lexeuropaeulegal-contentENTXTuri=CELEX52013DC0083 3 For a more detailed presentation of the IESI conceptual and analytical framework including the definition of
ICT-enabled social innovation developed as part of this research and the concept of Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) see the previous Deliverables available of the IESI Projects website httpseceuropaeujrceniesi and the JRC Science and Policy Report (Misuraca et al 2015)
9
More specifically the IESI research project aims to
i provide a better understanding of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled
social innovation to implement the actions suggested in the SIP
ii contribute to building the evidence base needed for social policy innovation by
gathering knowledge analysing initiatives and raising awareness about successful
experiences implemented in EU Member States
iii develop a methodological framework of analysis of the impacts - from micro to
macro level - generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which promote
social investment
The research results are expected to enhance the understanding of how ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives contribute to better targeting benefits and services improving the
management provision and coordination of services designing high-quality and cost-
effective services which meet the needs of citizens and supporting access to and take-up
of social services for instance by enabling simpler procedures providing better and more
targeted information or allowing the development of one-stop-shops
With regard to the scope of the research the starting point of the analysis is to identify
the Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) ie the services that respond to
vital human needs fight discrimination and create equal opportunities4 More specifically
the focus of the research is the analysis of policy-relevant initiatives related to integrated
approaches to social services provision and hence the study of how they contribute to
achieving some of the priorities defined in the SIP objectives
The IESI three-year research project was designed according to three interrelated Work
Packages namely Systematic mapping (WP1) Methodological framework of analysis of
impacts (WP2) and Thematic analysiscase studies (WP3) as illustrated in Figure 1 below
Figure 1 Research Design
Source own elaboration
4 According to Misuraca et al 2015 PSSGI have been classified through the following typologies (1)
Childcare (2) Education and training (3) Social assistance (4) Social care (5) Social housing (6) Employability (7) Employment (8) Social inclusionparticipation (9) Civic engagement (10) Active and healthy ageing and long-term care
10
Considerable effort was dedicated during the research especially in the IESI Thematic
analysiscase studiesrdquo Work Package (WP3) to studying the role and impact that ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social investment may have on the
modernisation of the following aspects of the Member Statesrsquo social protection systems
(1) Social SecurityEmployment (2) Social Inclusion and Participation (3) Active and
Healthy Ageing
Data were collected on a number of relevant examples of initiatives (cases) across the EU
The aim was to analyse the services provided in each case by various stakeholders and
intermediaries from the public private and third sectors with a specific focus on their role
and relationships At the same time the research aimed to better understand the nature
and impact of ICT-enabled social innovation in support of social investment its drivers
barriers and determinants and the various diffusion paths that characterise each of the
above mentioned thematic areas The case study approach allowed us to gather important
insights from both the cross-case analysis and the thematic analysis
13 This report
This report presents the results of the analysis of relevant ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives identified across the EU It explores the relationships between different
typologies of implemented ICT-enabled social innovation and the social protection system
in which they are embedded It also assesses the potential impact of ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives promoting social investment on the modernisation of social protection
systems in EU Member States More precisely the analysis seeks to determine what the
main drivers and barriers for the modernisation of social protection systems are and what
specific impacts are generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social
investment
Thus the main research questions addressed by the case studies are
What role do ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives play in supporting social
investment policies in modernising social services
What enabling factors in social investments and social innovations contribute to
enhancing social protection policies especially in times of crisis And what are the
barriers
The analyses presented in this report support the evidence on the contribution of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives which promote social investment for the modernisation
of social protection systems to the implementation of the EU SIP Therefore the cases
studied here also provide a snapshot of the state of deployment of social investment
policies which aim to facilitate the implementation of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives to encourage the modernisation of social services and welfare system in Europe
This report is structured as follows
Chapter 1 introduces the background and rationale of the project the overall
objectives and outlines the structure of this report
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the general methodology followed for the
literature review selection of the case studies and cross-case analysis
Chapter 3 presents key findings from the review of the state of the art which
focuses on ICT-enabled social innovation in EU social protection systems and social
services delivery models
Chapter 4 presents an overview of the case studies structured along the main
relevant dimensions of the research
Chapter 5 presents the cross-cases analysis illustrated with examples from the
activities key results and challenges of the initiatives
Chapter 6 presents the key findings the conclusions of the study future research
challenges and policy implications
11
2 Methodology
21 Research design
The key goal of the analysis of case studies which formed part of the IESI research design
was to provide evidence of successful andor promising ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives implemented around Europe to support the modernisation of social protection
systems This enabled us to assess the extent of the contribution of ICT-enabled social
innovation to the implementation of the SIP
More specifically the case studies aimed to
Provide evidence of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled social innovation
to implement the actions suggested in the SIP in order to modernize their social
protection systems
Contribute to a better understanding of the impact of social policies by studying
promising initiatives The initiatives selected aimed to simplify processes and better
target benefits and services improve management design high-quality and cost-
effective services and identify effective channels of public value distribution
In order to achieve the above objectives five steps were undertaken
i An inception analysis was carried out in order to define the methodology that would
be used to conduct the research activities (ie a review of the state of the art and
the selection of the case studies for in-depth analysis) The inception analysis also
reviewed the data gathering tools to be used
ii A comprehensive review of the state of the art in modernising social protection
systems was completed The review comprised relevant literature policies
theoretical approaches and the level of service provision amongst the different EU
countries It also collected and documented promising initiatives across the EU
Specific emphasis was given to the role played by ICTs as well as its barriers and
enablers
iii We tried to understand the role played by ICTs in these social innovations and the
provision of these services as both enablers and game-changers (Misuraca et al
2015) This phase aimed to identify relevant examples of the application of ICT-
enabled social innovation to support the modernisation of social protection systems
in the EU Basic data and documentation were gathered on 50 potential examples
representing the 5 types of welfare systems and illustrating the 10 PSSGI areas
included in the SIP
For each of the 50 examples identified a short case description providing the
context objectives activities main results and impacts was included In addition a
typology of ICT-enabled social innovation services and impacts was developed
Based on the knowledge gathered we established some criteria for the selection of
case studies
iv Based on the results of the previous steps the most promising cases among the 50
were selected for further in-depth analysis
v We analysed both the data obtained through desk research and the qualitative data
collected through in-depth interviews with representatives of the organizations
involved in the selected cases including beneficiaries and other relevant
stakeholders In each case study we investigated how ICT-enabled social
innovation is being or has been implemented We looked at what results have
been achieved in terms of SIP objectives return on investments and impact areas
In addition a cross-case analysis was also carried out which included discussion of
the potential implications for policies at local national and EU level and with
specific regard to the SIP objectives
12
22 Literature review
A dedicated literature review was deemed necessary to help us select initiatives that would
provide relevant insights into achieving the IESI objectives described earlier ie
a) explore the relationships between different typologies of implemented ICT-enabled
social innovation and the social protection system in which they are embedded and
b) assess the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which
promote social investment on the modernisation of social protection systems in EU
Member States
The literature review investigated the state of the art in the modernisation of social
protection systems in Europe in order to identify the main elements that characterise the
landscape in which ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives had been implemented This
included a review of relevant scientific literature policies theoretical approaches and the
level and types of service provision in EU countries and of grey literature such as policy
documents and reports by practitioners administrative sources and official statistical
reports
We considered the main features of the socio-economic context such as the relationships
between social innovation and social protection systems the relationships between social
protection systems and welfare systems and the role of services integration and social
protection system
23 Case studies
231 Selection of initiatives
Having completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds we then selected 50 promising cases These were chosen from the
initiatives identified by the IESI mapping exercise and additional ad-hoc searches
The criteria used for the selection included geographical coverage representativeness of
the different welfare systems coverage of all the relevant thematic areas (derived from a
revisited typology of PSSGI) representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders
(public private and third sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis
Step 1 Multi-criteria analysis
Taking the data collected on the 50 initiatives as input we used a ranking model based on
the multi-criteria methodology shown in Figure 2 below Each initiative was in fact
analysed according to the two criteria of relevance and complexity in order to capture its
potential systemic impact This allowed us to give a numerical score to different sub-
parameters for each of the 50 initiatives identified
Step 2 Applying the IESI analytical framework
As shown in Figure 3 the IESI analytical framework from the IESI Knowledge Map
(Misuraca et al 2015) was then used to further assess the initiatives While the ICT-
enabled innovation potential was used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives
belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo cluster (incremental and sustained innovation)
and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster (disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of
governance of service integration was used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with
the highest level of governance)
13
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology
Source own elaboration
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework
Source own elaboration
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis
232 Analysis of case studies
The analysis of the selected case studies followed three main methodological steps (i)
desk research (ii) interviews and (iii) case development and analysis The desk research
focused on technical documents publications and reports produced by policy makers
researchers and academics and also surveys undertaken by consultants and international
experts The aim was to obtain specific and reliable data about the context and the impact
of each of the initiatives under analysis and to identify and select relevant key informants
RELEVANCE
COMPLEXITY
Dimension of initiative
Impact strength of initiative
Level of reference of the
initiative
Level of effectiveness
Degree of integration
across multiple social services
Level of stakeholders partecipation
Level of integration of the
initiative
LocalRegional - 1National - 2
Transnational - 3
Productivity improvement- 1Operational change - 2New delivery system - 3
Seldom project references- 1Qualitative project references - 2
Good project references - 3
1 ndash 2 SIP Objectives impacted- 13 ndash 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 2gt 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 3
1 ndash 2 Social Services impacted- 13 ndash 4 Social Services impacted - 2gt 4 Social Services impacted - 3
Public or Private or Third Sector- 1
PublicPrivate or PublicThird Sector or PrivateThird Sector - 2
PublicPrivateThird Sector - 3
Isolated- 1Intra governmental or Inter-governmental 2
Inter-sectorial or Pervasive - 3
SCORE ATTRIBUTIONRULES IN THE
PROCESS MODEL
14
Each interview was based on the gaps identified by the desk research and tailored to the
type of stakeholder to be addressed in order to improve the quality of the data already
gathered Besides providing input for the case reports and the case study analysis this
exercise also contributed to improving the IESI Knowledge Map and the related data
validation process (see IESI analytical framework)5
The subsequent cross-case analysis built on two different and relevant components On
the one hand particular attention was paid to descriptive components such as the type of
initiatives area of social services covered location scale of implementation operational
funding target users stakeholders involved and partnerships built around the initiatives
On the other hand a significant effort was dedicated to identifying the factors that
generate impact social innovation elements ICT-enabled innovation potential levels of
governance integration and type of service integration The analytical framework adopted
for the cross-case analysis takes into consideration the coverage of different elements
which are important for clustering the initiatives as illustrated in Figure 4
Figure 4 Analytical framework
Source own elaboration
The methodology followed to select the cases took into account the level of governance of
service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential they presented The cross-
case analysis focused on the remaining two dimensions of the IESI analytical framework
ie types of service integration6 and elements of social innovation7 (see Misuraca et al
2015)
5 Clearly the sample of initiatives gathered at this stage of the research was not statistically representative of
the universe of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives for the modernisation of social protection systems not only because of its limited size but also because the overall population is unknown Nevertheless it represents a substantial effort towards providing a better and more structured understanding of the field the
critical success factors of policies in that field common patterns and emerging trends 6 According to Misuraca et al 2015 building on Kodner 2009 the integration might be at funding
administrative organisational or delivery system levels More precisely funding integration might be due to the use of funds coming from different sources (eg different public bodies PPPs etc) Administrative integration may be achieved through consolidationdecentralisation of responsibilities andor functions inter-sectorial planning needs assessment or joint purchasing Organisational integration might happen through co-location of services interagency planning contracting strategic alliances or networks building Finally delivery system integration can be achieved through case management informative cooperation multi-disciplinary teamwork etc
7 According to Misuraca et al (2015) building on Bekkers et al (2013) social innovation elements may be described conceptually as (i) needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production (ii) an open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks (iii) a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders and (iv) public value allocation andor re-allocation The IESI research considers and describes where ICTs play a crucial role in the generation of public value (Public value creation) andor in the public value distribution (Public sector social services provision)
15
3 Review of the state of the art
31 Social protection systems in Europe
311 Social investment trends
Since the 80s expenditure has increased mainly on old age insurance and pensions
(Nikolai 2012) However expenditure on education and training family and child benefits
health prevention or active labour market policy has not changed significantly despite
efforts by the European Commission and the advantages associated with the adoption of a
social investment perspective As a result the portfolio of services offered in EU Member
States is inadequate to address current societal challenges In fact the financial gap
between what is needed to address societal challenges and actual social investment in
public services delivery at existing employment levels was estimated by Accenture and
Oxford Economics to reach around $1600 billion in 2025 across 10 countries with a gap of
30 billion for Italy (13 of GDP in 2025) and 170 billion for the UK (54 of GDP)
(2013)
The ESPN Thematic Reports on Social Investment per country 20158 provides insights into
social investment and results at national level For instance Nordic and Anglo-Saxon
countries especially Finland and Ireland present the clearest cases of one-stop-shop
initiatives even if these are still under development The integration of social services
provision in these welfare models is at its most advanced - especially in Sweden and in the
United Kingdom Of the continental countries the Netherlands is the most advanced in
that field together with France Belgium and Luxembourg However the shortage of
resources following the economic crisis is expected to negatively affect the performance of
social service delivery processes in these countries in the mid- to long-term In contrast
harmonization is lacking in some continental countries like Austria and Germany and also
in Denmark (a Nordic Country)
This lack of coordination also exists in most Mediterranean and Central-Eastern European
countries In addition the situation in the latter is expected to worsen because of the
shortage of economic and financial resources straining public administrations and in turn
their capability to afford quality social services delivery Underperforming social services
are common in Mediterranean countries (eg Cyprus Malta and Greece) and in the
Central-Eastern European countries (eg Poland Romania Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic) Croatia and Slovenia are exceptions and represent positive examples of
reforming countries in Central-Eastern Europe Indeed they are in the process of
developing one-stop-shop models to deliver social services to their citizens
In this context the increasing demand for social protection has hindered full
implementation of social investment policies even in those countries where social reforms
started earlier and were implemented through structural changes For instance Sweden
and Denmark have shifted to less costly forms of labour market activation where
counselling replaces training and unemployment benefits have been reduced drastically
According to De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) who examined EU Member States employment
policies in the 1990s and 2000s there have not really been clear and massive shifts from
passive to active expenditure on labour market policies in the EU-15 but expenditure for
both is depleting while participants in active labour market programmes are increasing in
order to be able to receive benefits
Even more alarming is the decrease in public expenditure on families and children
considering the positive correlation between higher rates of women in employment and
poverty reduction and between the availability of early child education and care services
and future career development prospects for children
As for education findings from the OECD Social Report (2014) show that consolidation
efforts halted the long-term trend of rising public spending on education it declined
8 Some of the more relevant findings are analytically reported in the Table 1
16
relative to GDP between 2009 and 2010 in more than half of OECD countries with cuts
especially sharp in Hungary Iceland Italy Sweden Switzerland and the United States
The social investment perspective emerged as a response to changing conditions across
Europe including de-industrialization and increased international competition an ageing
population changing gender roles in labour markets and households and the introduction
and diffusion of new technologies All these factors ndashparticularly the demographic trends -
call for more and better welfare services However the economic and financial crisis has
led EU Member States to contain or even reduce social spending and look for efficiency
gains in social services Thus they hope to do more with fewer resources
312 Welfare systems reforms in Europe
According to recent publications (eg Eriksson Einarsson and Wijkstroumlm 2014
Hemerijck Draumlbing Vis Nelson and Soentken 2013 Morel Palier and Palme 2012)
welfare state reforms have been implemented in all European countries over the past
three decades Initially these reforms were about social and economic policy adjustment
and mainly focused on economic competitiveness Then once the European economic and
monetary union was established EU Member States became more willing to adapt
measures of cost containment together with more active labour market policies such as
subsidized employment and training
From 2000 new emerging societal challenges related to new work values family gender
relations and social integration reinforced by problems such as population ageing de-
industrialization and changing family roles (see eg Esping-Andersen et al 2002) pushed
policy makers to promote more active welfare models Most EU countries initiated
substantial welfare reforms in order to maximize employment restrain early retirement
and reconcile work and family life
According to Hemerijck (2013) Hemerijck et al (2013) and Nelson (2012) there seems
to be no radical changes in welfare reform patterns in Europe Even when changes are
substantial policies do not depart from existing practices (Esping-Andersen et al 2002)
Most reforms represent cumulative policy adjustments across adjacent policy areas Social
investment is another key means of bringing down unemployment by channelling (less
productive) workers into social security programmes and maximizing the rate of
employment
Both the Continental and the Nordic models moved from labour-shedding policies to
employment maximising strategies In addition in the Continental welfare model minimum
income provision was strengthened and there was a shift from male-breadwinner family
support towards family services based on female employment and work-care balance
Though there is a variety of regime-specific measures (Palier 2010 Esping-Andersen
2010) there is also a convergence between social policy and employment objectives in
line with the policy initiatives promoted by the EU agenda to encourage the transformation
of the welfare state (Bouget 2005) This process signals a transition from a
passivecorrective welfare state to a proactive investment strategy more focused on
prevention activation and social servicing (Hay 2004)
Finally in terms of old social policies such as pensions more Member States are making
occupational and private pensions compulsory and have developed systems linking
benefits with actual contributions
To summarise an analysis of the status of implementation of welfare policy reforms in
Europe is presented in Table 1 below It is structured according to the following
dimensions proposed by Hemerijck (2013b) (1) macroeconomic policy (including fiscal
exchange rate and monetary policy) (2) wage bargaining and industrial relations (3)
labour market policy (4) labour market regulation (5) social insurance and social
assistance (6) old age pensions (7) family and social servicing (8) welfare financing
and (9) governance and social policy administration
17
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Macroeconomic policy (including fiscal budget and monetary policy)
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size
Wage bargaining and industrial relations
Collective bargaining agreement not binding introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement
Collective bargaining agreement especially in Italy
Collective bargaining agreement only in a minority of countries introduction of minimum wage
Labour market policy
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning Flexicurity model which is the integration of generous unemployment benefits active labour market policies and flexible labour markets with the aim of improving workforces quality while reducing unemployment
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning some forms of flexicurity
Activation labour policy in Spain
Social insurance and social assistance
Tax cut for low wages support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed older regular workforce and support for the disabled
Support for low wages workers support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Support for disabled long-term unemployed marginal workers as well as short- term unemployed
Limited support for marginal workers mostly for insiders
Support to long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Old age pensions
Increase in retirement age expansion of support to groups having lower income or irregular employment
Flexible retirement age increase in pension age move from a defined benefit to a defined- pay-as-you-go contribution system
Increase in retirement age more flexibility in retirement age partial privatisation of pensions with complementary occupational or private plans
Increase in retirement age linking of the pension formula to contributions in a quasi-actuarial fashion introducing a public notional defined contribution system
Reforms of pension systems through privatization and individualization of savings Before the reforms pension systems were defined as ldquopay as you gordquo ( transfers from public firms to the state budget with scarce contributions from workers
18
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Family and social servicing
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave
Increase of maternity and paternity leave increased access to childcare
Welfare financing
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
In Czech Republic there was a shift from tax financing in order to increase payroll financing In this way social contribution was linked to benefit
Governance and social policy administration
In Ireland from 1994 onwards the state became less involved in the implementation of social policies as for example public employment services were moved to non-statutory agencies
In Denmark the second Rasmussen government reformed the Public Employment Services streamlining the responsibilities for all labour market policies both for insured and uninsured jobseekers under a single National Labour Market Authority
In Germany the Hartz commission recommended the restructuring of the social insurance system and in particular of the German Public Employment Service governance
Source IESI internal elaboration
19
The above table shows that the Nordic and Continental countries implemented structural
reforms earlier than the other countries and in more depth They also pursued synergies
with social investments policies
For example these countries (particularly the Nordic ones) have implemented labour
market policies combined with training life-long learning and flexicurity policies These
policies aim to mitigate inequalities by leveraging human capital and thus the quality of
the workforce while at the same time reducing unemployment
The Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted similar employment policies although these do
not include any form of flexicurity
By contrast the Mediterranean countries ndash with the exception of Spain ndash and the Eastern
European countries did not adopt any significant structural measures to support the
workforce until the crisis In recent years the Mediterranean countries have started to
adopt some reforms of the labour market and other structural reforms addressing their
social protection systems However these are not considered in the above table because
they have not affected society yet
These differences in labour market policies are also apparent in other structural policies
such as old age pension policies Nordic and Continental countries have introduced
flexible retirement age policies and increased the pension age as have other countries
Policy measures to support family and work life balance were adopted to some extent by
most EU Member States at least in relation to the ldquoincrease of maternity and paternity
leaverdquo However only in the Nordic Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare models have
these measures been associated with other measures which support a better balance
between work and life and greater access to childcare and female employment In these
countries the benefits of structural changes in their welfare systems have also been
translated into reduced taxation and rationalized public administration services In most
cases this was accomplished by integrating various social services and creating a single
point of access
The structural reforms allowed Nordic Central European and Anglo-Saxon countries to
also adopt more active social insurance and social assistance policy reforms For
example they were able to introduce tax cuts for low wages workers and to offer more
support to the long-term and short-term unemployed and regular older workers as well
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services
321 Social services delivery
A social services system is generally defined as the (combination) of interventions
programmes and benefits that are provided by governmental civil society and
community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically
disadvantaged individuals and families In this respect social services are mainly
provided by public sector organisations and different levels of government using
traditional public service delivery mechanisms However social services can also be
contracted to private organizations through concessions transfers outsourcing or other
public-private partnerships systems such as framework contracts and service-levels
agreements Contracting out is becoming more and more common citizens and
organizations from the private or the third sector are complementing the public sector in
providing services or are acting as partners in designing and implementing different
service delivery phases Often the design and provision of new innovative services can be
initiated by private or third sector organisations and subsequently incorporated into the
public service delivery system
The Commission Communication on social services of general interest (April 2006 - COM
(2006) 177 final) defines two main categories of social services
20
i ldquoStatutory and complementary social security schemes organised in various ways
(mutual or occupational organisations) covering the main risks of life such as
those linked to health ageing occupational accidents unemployment retirement
and disabilityrdquo
ii ldquoOther essential services provided directly to the person These services that play
a preventive and social cohesion role consist of customised assistance to facilitate
social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights They comprise first of all
assistance for people faced by personal challenges or crises (such as debt
unemployment drug addiction or family breakdown) Secondly they include
activities to ensure that the persons concerned are able to completely reintegrate
into society (rehabilitation language training for immigrants) and in particular
the labour market (occupational training and reintegration) These services
complement and support the role of families in caring for the youngest and oldest
members of society in particular Thirdly these services include activities to
integrate persons with long-term health or disability problems Fourthly they also
include social housing providing housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially
less advantaged groupsrdquo
By the same token according to EC (2010) social services improve citizensrsquo quality of life
by helping to tackle issues such as market externalities information asymmetries
distributional concerns agency problems natural monopolies public goods and services
(Cichon et al 2004 Greve 2002) Welfare states have several instruments they can use
to remedy these negative externalities eg governments are able to tax public ldquobadsrdquo
(Albrecht 2006)
The social services delivery systems carry out the following series of functions
Provision of care and support which is obviously the key function of Personal
Social Services (PSS - which include PSSGI) systems Each country decides which
sectors provide the services and how and who receives them under what
circumstances
Community development and care coordination because all systems have to
figure out and coordinate efficiently additional non-state resources due to the fact
that limited funding is available for services
Social control consisting of the enforcement of societal rules and procedures and
also societal norms For example mentally ill individuals and young offenders can
act in ways that are not in their own interests and can also represent a threat to
other citizens
Protection especially of children older people and the disabled who can be
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation
Regulation countries have adopted a decentralized mixed economy in which the
central state plays a crucial role in regulating PSS by setting standards and
monitoring developments
Social integration of excluded groups into mainstream society
The stakeholders responsible for the above functions belong to three main sectors
The public sector including local regional and central government Personal social
services can be provided by individual departments or as part of larger
departments such as social security health and education
The for-profit sector which is growing in size and relevance in some EU countries
(eg United Kingdom) The organizations operating in this sector are sometimes
difficult to distinguish from the ones operating in the voluntary non-profit sector
The only criterion that may differentiate these two sectors is an annual budget
surplus in the former
21
The voluntary non-profit sectors (consisting in self-help groups like the Alcoholics
Anonymous or NGOs) These use both paid and unpaid resources and volunteers
working inside or outside formal schemes
The evidence collected in this research suggests the following common trends in policy
reforms
Promotion of targeted programmes for the social and economic integration of
socially unprotected families by distributing social protection funds and
operational activities that target not only households but also specific individuals
according to their social and economic needs
Reconsideration of social protection systems in terms of not only existing
operations problems and service provision but also the needs of future
generations in order to ensure their sustainability
Introduction of roadmaps consisting of specific steps to improve social protection
It is worth noting that the use of ICTs boosts the operational transformation in social
services delivery processes in the above mentioned trends in policy reforms For
example it allows
An open-government approach and also the re-use of data through electronic
channels and across the entire public sector
The use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) in the 2014-2020
period to further finance ICT-based developments in healthcare with a view to
ensuring better connectivity between and among national healthcare systems
The integration of systems across departments and public authorities This allows
data and processes to be automatically shared so that support can be tailored by
predictive analytics based on evidence of what works for different customer
groups
The collection of information on policy interventions in order to build evidence to
inform future policy design
Online access to all transactions information and services
322 Social services integration
To cope with the societal challenges and demands for social services mentioned in the
previous subsection new approaches to service delivery are necessary The literature
review carried out shows that service delivery should have the following characteristics
Integrated services human resources management and social service delivery
model design need to be integrated in order to create more effective solutions for
people at risk and for disadvantaged groups Governments are exploring the
potential of integrating their various systems and service models to provide a
single point of customer service This will reduce administrative costs and increase
efficiency by removing duplication Moreover eliminating barriers to access and
offering a more user-centric approach would improve service efficiency and user
satisfaction
Shared services combining back-office processes reduces costs and increases the
effectiveness of service delivery Moreover sharing administrative systems and
processes allows governments to better leverage their technology and service
provider budgets Some governments have taken this approach further making
use of cloud technology to provide infrastructure and systems as a service
offering greater agility and responsiveness to their human resources and social
service agencies
22
Public Private Partnership (PPP) models PPPs can help achieve cost-efficiencies
By contracting services out to the private sector governments might be able to
reduce overheads focus on core service components and achieve greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment Moreover PPPs can achieve
greater efficiency as private organizations seek to reduce costs while maintaining
high levels of service delivery However to maximize the value of PPPs
governments must mitigate the risks associated with third-sector relationships
They must also structure reimbursement in a way that incentivizes efficiency and
positive outcomes while preventing fraud and abuse
Greater accountability governments are also trying to increase the impact of their
services by strengthening financial and accounting systems Thus they not only
achieve greater effectiveness but also enhance their ability to detect fraud and
address system inefficiencies Furthermore governments are also experimenting
with dynamic pay-for-performance models in existing markets through PPPs This
kind of model embeds the principles of accountability into service provision and
creates programmes that are focused on outcomes rather than processes
According to KPMG (2013) ldquoservices integrationrdquo denotes efforts to increase the
coordination of operations within human resources and social services systems Its
overall aim is to improve efficiency and client outcomes As shown in Figure 5 below
the integration process can be depicted as a continuum from no integration to full
integration
Figure 5 The integration continuum
Source KPMG 2013
The provision of integrated services offers the following advantages from an operational
perspective
increased capacity and value for money by reducing duplication in administrative
processes
improved strategic planning and system integrity as the sharing of information
between different agencies and programme areas improves the understanding of
service usage patterns and client needs
bull A highly fragmented
system with service
delivery organizations
working in isolation
No Integration
bull Informal cooperation between practitioners
bull Sharing of facilities and overheads but no integration of service
Partial Integration
bull Some formal sharing of resources and joint planning
bull I n f o r m a t i o n o n m u l t i p l e s e r v i c e s availability
Limited integration
bull Integrated staffing
funding technology
applications service
delivery tools and case management
Full integration
23
reduced demand for emergency services since smoother and more coordinated
assistance can help stabilise the conditions of clients thus reducing the need for
more costly crisis interventions
Moreover integrated services offer clients the following advantages
simplified access through one-stop-shops and integrated online portals
holistic and customized support through better understanding of their needs
faster response times as streamlined back-office systems improve processing
times
improved outcomes and user experience as better sequencing and coordination of
interventions can improve client outcomes over time
The key enablers of services integration can be represented and explained as shown in
Figure 6 below
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation
Source KPMG 2013
It is useful to briefly examine the three main drivers of service integration
Demographic transition more and more individuals are affected by a range of
different conditions and use multiple services Advances in technology have made
it possible to link information across programme areas and identify individuals
with complex needs In addition population ageing is prompting the redesign of
the provision of care for the aged because of sustainability challenges for care
providers changing family dynamics and structures high levels of household
debt and declining private pension coverage These factors mean that more older
people will rely on care provided by government rather than relatives or personal
savings
KEY ENABLERS
bull Electronic client records data analytics and interoperable technologies have enabled the identification of at-risk clients and a better understanding of service usage Coordinated case management and the more targeted use of resources have been possible as a result
bull Advances in data encryption and the proliferation of internet usage and mobile computing devices have allowed more clients to self-serve
through integrated web portals secure online accounts and mobile device applications
bull Data sharing legislation has facilitated
seamless referrals and integrated case
management between government
agencies and providers from the private
and not-for-profit sectors
bull Governments have sought to ensure pract it ioner compliance through
enshrining integration initiatives in
legislation
Legislation
bull Combined working groups staff co-
l o c a t i o n a n d j o i n t t r a i n i n g
arrangements are enabling knowledge
transfer and collaboration between
agencies levels of government andor
different sectors bull Transformed training recruitment
communi cation and performance
management practices are addressing
skills gaps and supporting new ways of
working New roles are being created and existing jobs redesigned
Workforce development
Technology
bull Payment-for-performance funding models (where providers are rewarded for improving client outcomes) are promoting the use of coordinated interventions to address social problems
bull The introduction of personal budgets is enabling service users and case managers to bypass organizational silos and purchase a mix of
support services from providers In doing so greater choice and autonomy is driving the creation of a social services marketplace
bull Pooled ldquoplace-basedrdquo budgets are producing clear incentives to coordinate services around local needs bull Joint commissioning enables agencies to overcome barriers to sharing resources and coordinating investment
bull Contracting and tendering reforms are being used to incentivize collaboration among third party service providers
Funding and contracting
24
Client expectations digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can
interface with service providers across a range of industries They now expect to
be able to access information and services through the web and mobile devices
Human and social services leaders are responding to these cultural changes and
new usage patterns by developing a range of new digital platforms including
integrated websites online accounts and smartphone and tablet apps
Economic pressures the global economic downturn has caused a rise in
unemployment (particularly long-term) in many countries Governments have
started to bring together services to address the demand and supply-side barriers
that prevent individuals from finding sustained employment However at the
same time high levels of sovereign debt have led to public sector austerity
measures in many developed economies This makes the issue of more cost-
effective service delivery one of the top priorities in policy agendas
As regards integrated services provision the following trends need to be considered
Client pathways aim to provide a more targeted and personalized approach that
enables clients with complex needs to receive coordinated services and support In
addition they enable most clients to serve themselves through streamlined access
points This trend also applies to government interventions which target the way
clients engage with services Governments are building capacity in big data analytics
as the growing complexity of datasets makes client patterns difficult to identify
without approaches of this kind
Focus on outcomes service providers are increasingly expected to deliver
demonstrable improvements in client outcomes Governments are increasingly
investing in building an evidence base for services integration They are developing
funding regimes linked to measurable outcomes and coordinating upstream
interventions that focus on prevention Service delivery providers are testing a range
of techniques and tools which encourage case workers and clients to focus on
achieving a set of agreed outcomes
bull Online access secure online accounts that allow users to navigate and access
programmes have become the norm in many jurisdictions
Inter-governmental integration there is growing recognition that greater
coordination between different levels of government is essential to improve system
integrity It reduces both duplication and gaps in service provision and enables
comprehensive responses to clientsrsquo complex needs Examples of government actions
in this respect include
Joint commissioning through joint-commissioning governments at different
levels find ways to combine resources align incentives and optimize system level
outcomes
Interoperability new frameworks tools and technologies are being developed
to enable systems to interact and exchange information across different levels of
government
bull Inter-sectorial integration governments are increasingly seeking opportunities to
build partnerships with service providers in the private and not-for-profit sectors
because of the significant role they play in delivering publicly-funded services The
current service delivery sector is highly fragmented and uncoordinated Therefore
individuals and families in need of support must navigate a confusing array of
providers and services In an attempt to solve this issue governments are taking the
following actions
o Network integration governments bring together community agencies in
formal networks to offer clients seamless support as they move through family
support services
25
o Resource sharing many governments make information available through
open data portals others have set up common client databases and removed
barriers that have previously have prevented the sharing of client information
across sectors finally some governments are engaged in staff co-location
o Funding and contracting governments have streamlined contracting
processes by standardizing terms and consolidating contracts They also use
funding to incentivize community sector consolidation collaboration and
social enterprise and to produce joint investment strategies
o Location-based integration there is growing support for the notion that
complex social problems are best addressed through coordinated local-level
interventions Governments have begun to undertake location-based planning
which has led to the restructuring of human resources and social services
departments along geographical rather than programme lines This gives them
a better understanding of local needs and enables them to react more
effectively to local needs
323 The one-stop-shop model
A typical example of services integration is the ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo model Following Askim
et al (2011) a ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo can be defined as an organizational model in which
service users are provided with a single entry point into the welfare system This model
is used to improve coordination in welfare services provision and takes various forms
such as fully integrated and physically co-located services virtual information portals
frontlines of complex single agencies or umbrella structures for several agencies
The participant structure of ldquoone stop shopsrdquo may be thought of as a variable In some
cases this structure can be quite simple for instance when a single agency with a wide
task portfolio implements a ldquoone stop shoprdquo for its customers In other cases the
structure is more complex For example the ldquoone stop shoprdquo may operate on top of
partner organizations and aim to maximize the convenience to the clients of all partners
through service integration operating as an intergovernmental partnership In this case
partner organisations remain separate but parts of their services are integrated
Coordination in ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo usually occurs when policy best meets citizensrsquo needs
ldquoOne-stop shopsrdquo represent a mechanism for increasing accessibility enhancing bottom-
up accountability achieving greater efficiency and reducing transaction costs and
duplications from the perspective of citizens providers and governments Kubicek and
Hagen (2001) distinguish between ldquofirst stop shopsrdquo ldquoconvenience storesrdquo and true ldquoone-
stop shopsrdquo The ldquofirst stop shoprdquo merely points citizens to relevant services In this case
clients have to take at least one more step which implies substantial pro-active
involvement on their part The ldquoconvenience storerdquo model is when several transactional
services are located in a single office or on one website In this case citizens are also
required to take further steps themselves The final type the lsquodepartment storersquo or true
one stop shop integrates specific client groups andor focuses services around specific
life events or administrative matters affecting citizens
The key dimensions defining ldquoone stop shopsrdquo with associated values are presented in
Table 2 Although the values presented are binary each variable can be thought as a
continuum with ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo located in the continuum between these two values
The first dimension is the tasks portfolio which represents the range of services
delivered The breadth of the task portfolio (narrow vs broad) corresponds to the range
of policy areas covered As an example some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo only deal with
unemployment while others offer services in other areas such as pensions welfare
benefits and social services The depth (shallow vs deep) refers to work processes
some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo provide only partial product closure (ie information or
26
signposting only) while others provide complete product closure (ie information
advice assistance to the application processes and case closure)
We also differentiate ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo according to how autonomous they are Those
with low autonomy where participation is compulsory have little discretion in terms of
budget management and organization Those with high autonomy where participation
is voluntary have a high degree of discretion in terms of budget management and
organization
They can also be distinguished in terms of participant structure Simple structures
include only a few partners and a single public level of government and complex
structures involve several agencies and levels of government as well as a mix of public
and private actors
Proximity to citizens is another factor services can be distant (eg regionally-based
service) or close (eg locally-based neighbourhood services virtually accessible in
citizensrsquo own homes)
Finally if we look at the instruments (tools or mechanisms) used to facilitate joint
working we can distinguish between low integration when the services are located
together but managed separately and high integration with joint management budget
and recruitment
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops
Variable Values and Examples
Tasks portfolio
Narrow Broad
Few policy areas eg employment only
More policy areas eg pensions welfare benefits social services
Shallow Deep
Information signposting only (only partial product closure)
Information + advice + assistance with applications case closure on the spot (complete product closure)
Participant structure
Simple Complex
Few agencies Multiple agencies
One municipality Several municipalities
One level of government Several levels of government
Public sector only Mix of public private NGOs
Autonomy Low High
Compulsory participation in one stop shop
Voluntary participation in one stop shop
Little discretion in terms of budget management
organization
High discretion in terms of budget management organization
Proximity to citizen
Distant Close
Regionally based service Locally based neighbourhood service virtual service accessible in own home
Instruments Low integration High integration
Co-located services but separately managed
Joint management joint budgets joint recruitment personal shopper
Source Askim et al 2011
27
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision
331 ICTs supporting the transformation of social service delivery
In general terms the use of ICTs has an impact on the transformation of social service
delivery as it facilitates targeting by identifying beneficiaries more effectively It also
improves payment mechanisms allowing savings on operational costs (time and human
resources) and on benefits provided (avoiding double allowances) Their use also makes
interventions more effective (thanks to greater accuracy) and encourages greater trust in
government through better user experience
ICTs can be used as a vehicle to increase accountability and to transform and extend the
reach of service delivery to the underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient
manner In fact ICTs are able to increase accessibility inclusivity and flexibility in
service delivery allowing more citizens to interact with government with the flexibility of
choice offered by multiple delivery channels and in more convenient timeframes
Thus governments can transform the way services are delivered by using ICTs rather
than simply cutting back on social services in the face of budget deficits Following Booz
et al (2005) we describe four main waves of ICT adoption by governments in Figure 7
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments
Source Booz et al (2005)
The first wave focused on improving access and connectivity and was largely concerned
with the development of infrastructure The second wave provided add-ons to existing
services through online provision The third wave led by efficiency agendas focused on
the automation of existing processes Governments have re-engineered their business
processes and implemented faster ones enabled by ICTs Thus ICTs have played an
important role in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of government services
even though more integrated and citizen-centric service delivery still requires further
transformation of business processes to adopt and respond to new technologies This will
be achieved in the fourth wave in which the traditional channels for running the back-
office of government become ICT-enabled and seamlessly integrated In this stage
governments will shift from re-engineering existing processes to envisioning completely
new ways of implementing service delivery
28
The framework proposed by Booz et al in 2005 is still valid from a conceptual
standpoint However it is clear that more recent developments in ICT adoption in
government and more specifically in social services delivery processes (which are highly
knowledge intensive and where ICTs can therefore play an important role) need to be
considered This is especially the case in what could be considered as a fifth wave which
would include the adoption of new technological architectures These will enable the use
of interception techniques management and analysis of structured and non-structured
data (Big Data Analytics) and the production and use of public data in a linked format
(BOLD ndash Big Open Linked data) The latter will intersect with single users personalised
approaches exploiting multi-device and multi-channel logics (eg web social mobile)
This is will make it easier to use ICTs as the main means of developing different
pathways for the management of social services They will allow the application of an
end-user centric approach and the development of new services at the point of need
They will also leverage new horizontal forms of cooperation based on social innovation
principles
Therefore in line with the overall literature review and recent trends not yet fully
considered by most scholars in the field the transformation of social service delivery can
be enabled by ICTs along the following dimensions
Degree of integration across multiple social services This is an important
aspect of the contribution made by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to the
modernisation of social protection systems in light of current trends It represents
the capability of social innovation initiatives to achieve the aim of social
investment policies namely delivering social services which increase institutional
complementarities and ensure the integration of policy measures (EC 2015)
Degree of stakeholder participation in the social service delivery model
This is another important aspect of the impact of ICT-enabled social innovation It
represents the capability of initiatives to develop a collaborative service delivery
model (across public private and non-governmental operators) ICT-enabled
social innovation initiatives are able to integrate multi-stakeholder perspectives in
the co-design and co-creation of innovative solutions of social services delivery
processes (Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) ICTs can be the engine for new
forms of horizontal ndash and to some extent circular ndash subsidiarity and for entirely
new and disruptive innovation in the social and human services sector Thus they
support the emergence of new public private and mixed (hybrids) markets and
new value propositions at the crossroads between market and social protection
systems
Key transformation dimensions enabled by different combinations of ICTs may include
More accessible data Here ICTs could support
o the demand side by allowing providers to extract detailed information on
the needs profile of each user via web and social semantic mechanisms
This would give them information on new service opportunities assistance
needs and other useful items of information in a near real time
communication protocol
o the supply side by providing through big data and visual analytics
detailed and valuable information on the current social service system
capacity obtaining data from Web sectoral or relevant databases and
other structured or unstructured data sources (Linked Open Data)
Better knowledge The cloud and distributed knowledge management platforms
enable in-depth analysis of current markets They aggregate data via a well-
structured semantic interoperability approach and big data and visual analytics
technologies They enable in-depth evaluations of future scenarios thanks to data
mining and agent-based approaches
29
Better regulation Information deriving from all the actors involved in the
process could enrich the knowledge management environment thus enabling
institutions to adopt measures to improve processes (Process Changes) from a
regulatory and an operational point of view
Sirovatka-Greve (2015) identified four streams in the discussion of social innovation in
public services
The role of innovation in the knowledge economy (Room 2005) this focuses on
how innovation in technologies and in management can be applied to the
provision of public services
Public sector innovation (Bloch 2010) looking at how to support the private
sector in its efforts to innovate
Governance models (for instance decentralisation marketization or partnerships)
as sources of innovation (Van Berkel et al 2011)
Grass-roots organisations and initiatives how they can be empowered and
supported to innovate (Klein and Harrison 2007)
These four interrelated streams point to social innovation as a way of modernising public
sector systems adapting them to citizensrsquo needs and expectations better and more
economically sustainable
ICTs potential for enhancing innovation in social services could go beyond simply making
new products available or improving efficiency in management practices They can foster
a key characteristic of social innovation namely its capacity to bring together a broad
range of stakeholders facilitating their efforts to jointly build new and better answers to
ever-changing societal needs in spite of shrinking public budgets ICTs have enabled new
organisational business and value models Technological skills are often instrumental to
capacity building and to the empowerment of all operators engaged in the delivery of
social services innovation These skills may result in more sustainable individual and
collective behaviour and in self-regulation processes
332 ICTs enabling changes in social services delivery models
According to Van Berkel et al (2011) reforms in service delivery systems have been
traditionally related to three main movements decentralisation (political or
administrative) marketization (contracting-out or strengthening competition among
providers) and new public management (performance indicators incentives and
controlmonitoring mechanisms)
To better understand the contribution ICTs can make to the process of change in social
service delivery models it might be useful to consider another approach ie one that
looks at the link between the reform in service delivery systems and the social needs
primarily addressed in specific fields of social services
First of all ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can contribute to better
coordination among citizens and social services actors or beneficiaries and
formal and informal caregivers The aim of these ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to increase coordination and collaboration amongst those for example who
care for chronically-ill patients at home Here ICTs can act as an enabling factor that
drives the organizational transformation of service delivery A major advantage of ICTs is
that they provide case management services customized to the changing needs of the
patients and their relatives at the point of need In addition they can strengthen inter-
governmental integration and inter-sectorial communication among care providers ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives can increase the productivity of the workforce and
the cost-effectiveness of the service delivery process They can also ensure the overall
sustainability of the service in the mid to long term
30
Secondly ICTs encourage active inclusion and provide support to the care
practices communities The aim of these types of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to empower ageing people by increasing their capabilities to care for
themselves and at the same time to support their inclusion in society In this ICTs are
fundamental ldquogame changersrdquo substantially transforming care services delivery In line
with the SIP objectives they promote active inclusion and help to make significant
savings in care services delivery (eg less unplanned hospitalizations for adverse events
and increase of productivity of the care workforce)
Furthermore the contribution of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives may be seen
when we look at innovations for home care services delivery This type of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiative is the most frequently implemented because it is
recognised that home care for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF
etc) and ageing patients in general is much better than hospital care In contrast to the
previous cases the ICT focus here is on monitoring technologies (mainly sensors and
actuators) that can provide health professionals with data and information automatically
about patientsrsquo health status and allow a virtual nearly real-time interaction with them
These technologies can be ldquogame-changersrdquo in the modernisation of care services as
they enable a disruptive transformation of the care processes for these patients
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can also be game changers in integrating work
and care This type of initiative also fits in well with structural reforms that aim to allow
individuals of working age to remain productive and employable for longer than before
In addition ICT-enabled social innovation can contribute to transforming service delivery
models through better integration between employment and life-long learning
services throughout individualsrsquo lives They address the need to leverage the knowledge
capital of individuals and maintain the employability of Europeans at a high level In
these cases ICT-enabled social innovation can enable e-learning services and thus
maintain individualsrsquo employability levels over time andor to better integrate the back
offices of organizations which match job demand with job offer In more advanced cases
ICT can also be ldquogame changersrdquo by proactively integrating life-long learning services
with the automatic identification of skills gaps so that jobseekers meet job offer
requirements These initiatives increase individualsrsquo employability throughout their
working lives
ICTs also contribute to change by better integrating work family and social
inclusion These types of initiatives help individuals to cope with childcare keeping
them included in society and allowing them to participate in labour markets ICT-enabled
social innovation solutions facilitate the identification of the best service providers and
the coordination of public and private offers of childcare services for families They also
enhance the integration of public and private actors in their efforts to cover the whole
spectrum of childcare services These initiatives have an impact on the modernisation of
social services as they allow for example better synchronization of the public and
private offer of childcare services which in turn increases their cost-effectiveness They
also minimize vacancies andor overbooking of childcare services and reduce the
negative externalities affecting parents for instance reconciling family life social
inclusion and work
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives also improve the delivery of social inclusion
services for the homeless This type of services addresses the needs of homeless
people living in urban centres Homelessness is a complex problem which requires the
provision of structural solutions and at the same time first-aid interventions which cut
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
ICT-enabled social innovation in this case can support both sides of homeless peoples
needs as it can provide a more cost effective means of collaboration and coordination
between public and private actors involved in the delivery of a service ICTs can in fact
act as a ldquogame-changerrdquo by using information technology to help public and private
31
actors understand better the behaviour of homeless people and provide more effective
services at the point of need ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can significantly
improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery models
Finally ICT-enabled social innovation fosters the development of one-stop-shops
This is another type of social innovation initiative for the modernisation of social services
delivery in which ICTs can play a relevant role as already discussed
333 Enabling factors and barriers
Social innovation is a very high priority on the European political agenda (Haxeltine et al
2013 BEPA 2014) not only because it is seen as a new way to address social issues
oversaw by both private and public sectors but also because of the complex social
economic and environmental challenges which affect society
Social protection systems in EU Member States are facing a double challenge First they
must address contingency needs with reduced budgets as a consequence of the crisis
Second they must respond to the needs emerging from structural changes including
evolving social preferences and behaviours demographic change technological
innovations etc
As already discussed the public sector is having difficulties in addressing these
challenges Furthermore social services have not up until now been profitable enough for
the private sector Civil society and citizens however are finding new ways of providing
structural and sustainable answers to these challenges through social innovation
In this context promoting social innovation within social policies entails
Adopting an investment approach which is coherent with the anticipated societal
needs
Mobilising a wide range of actors other than the usual social sector actors
Combining skillsbackgroundculture and business in ways which differ from
traditional business solutions
It also requires policy makers and the public sector in general to provide a suitable
environment in which these efforts can flourish They must also embed social innovation
initiatives in the public sector transformation process Policy initiatives should also
provide incentives which would encourage private investors to become involved in social
investment They may then find new paradigms and business models which would give
them a return on their investments and at the same time have a positive social impact
(Bugg-Levine amp Emerson 2011 Epstein amp Yuthas 2014)
As recognized by Caulier-Grice et al (2012) the distinguishing element of social
innovation is that it can ldquomeet societal needsrdquo in more effective ways than other
approaches by ldquoenhancing society capacity to act and often entails changes in social and
power relationsrdquo Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises play an important role
because they can rdquocreate social values that is seen as the creation of benefits or
reduction of costs for society ndash through efforts that address social need and problems ndash
in ways that go beyond the private gains and general benefits of market activityrdquo (Phills
et al 2008)
Both social investment perspectives and social innovation policies aim to address
relevant societal needs and contribute to the sustainable development of society Both
put the individual at the centre of the decision process
The complementarities between social investment perspectives and social policy
innovation are presented in Table 3 below
32
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation
Source IESI internal elaboration inspired by Hautamaki (2010)
According to Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin (2014) the main message coming from social
innovation initiatives is that ldquothey are the opposite of quick-fix solutions using their full
potential requires nothing less than a combination of lsquothe deep strategies of chess
masters with the quick tactics of acrobatsrsquo The lifecycles of social innovations (processes
of emergence stabilisation and scaling up) are very conditional and are not available
simply at the press of a buttonrdquo
Social innovation is the focus of a whole range of European Commission policy initiatives
the European platform against poverty and social exclusion the Innovation Union the
Social Business Initiative the Employment and Social Investment packages the Digital
Agenda the new industrial policy the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy
Ageing and Cohesion Policy Furthermore many social innovation projects have been
funded by Structural Funds Social innovation has been explicitly integrated into the
Structural Funds Regulations for 2014-2020 This opens up possibilities for Member
States and regions to invest in social innovation both through the ERDF and the ESF
A recent report provides information on policies adopted by the EU to support the
introduction of social innovation in public service modernisation processes (Hubert
Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) In particular it recognizes that the public sector will achieve
greater gains in quality efficiency fairness transparency and accountability only by
following social innovation principles like
Co-designing and co-creating innovative solutions (with other Member States
other parts of government businesses the third sector and citizens)
Adopting new and collaborative service delivery models (across public private and
non-governmental actors both within and across national borders)
Embracing creative disruption from technology (the pervasive use of social media
mobility big data cloud computing packaged in new digital government
offerings)
Adopting an attitude of experimentation and entrepreneurship (government itself
needs to become bolder and more entrepreneurial) ldquo
To understand how social innovation can contribute in practice to social investments and
to the modernisation of the social protection and social security systems in Europe an in-
depth analysis of case studies of emerging social innovation initiatives was carried out as
described in the next chapter
Social investment policy Social policy innovation
Basic value
Mitigation of inequalities across social groups through economic development and employment growth
Wellbeing and sustainable development
Type of policy
Supply-driven with focus on human capital development and efficient use throughout the life course of the individuals
Demand-driven with beneficiaries at the centre of the decision process
Level of implementation National level Regional-local level
Field of action National Global
Actors addressed Mainly single institution (now) Inter-institutional complementarities (trend)
Multi-stakeholders
Implementation process Direction and control from above (top-down)
Enabling spontaneous processes and experiments and competitions (bottom-up)
33
4 Cases overview
41 Main characteristics
As described in Chapter 2 a two-step approach based on a multi-criteria analysis and the
IESI conceptual framework was used to define a set of successful or promising cases for
further study A brief overview of the 14 selected cases is presented in Table 4 below
Table 4 Selected Case Studies
Initiative Acronym Country Area of service Welfare model
A Book for a Roof A Book for a Roof
Croatia Education and training - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Central Eastern Europe
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
ACTION Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Nordic
Badalona Assistance Services
BSA Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Mediterranean
Crossroads Bank for Social Security
CBSS Belgium Social care - Social assistance Employment - Civic engagement
Continental
Online Point of Single Contact
EESTIEE Estonia Civic engagement - Social care - Social assistance - Childcare - Education and training - Social housing - Employment - Social inclusion participation - Independent living
Central Eastern European
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
EKSOTE Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Nordic
Digitalisation of social security services
INPS Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement
Mediterranean
Little bird Little Bird Germany Childcare Continental
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
PASS Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Anglo-Saxon
Reform of employee
insurance implementation institution
PES Netherla
nds Employment - Employability - Social assistance
Continental
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web
Pocircle Emploi
France Employment - Employability
Continental
Strategy for Digital Welfare
SDW Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Nordic
National Telecare Development Programme
TDP Scotland UK
Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Anglo-Saxon
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
W2W Poland Employment - Employability
Central Eastern Europe
Source IESI internal elaboration
Some of the above initiatives have had a significant impact on the modernisation of
processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services at national level
These have a specific focus on the simplification of citizen access to social services and
the sustainability of social protection services for example the digitalization of services
(INPS) in Italy Estoniarsquos single point of contact (EESTIEE) the employee insurance
implementation institution (PES) in the Netherlands and the strategy for digital welfare
(SDW) in Denmark
34
Some of the selected initiatives focus solely on employment and employability PES Pocircle
Emploi and Express Train to Employment (W2W) These initiatives provide e-services for
jobseekers and employers at national level Other cases focus mainly on education and
training but also seek to improve social inclusion and the employability of beneficiaries
(eg A book for a Roof)
All the selected initiatives present a high degree of transferability In fact the service
models implemented in some of the initiatives have already been transferred to other
policy areas andor other geographical areas or are based on experiences in other
contexts for example Little Bird and W2W
The selected cases provide good coverage of the different types of actors generally
involved in ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives from the public private and third
sector The latter especially play a prominent role in some of the selected cases both as
initiative promoters and as active partners for example Pathway Accommodation amp
Support System (PASS) and A Book for a Roof
As shown in Figure 8 which illustrates the geographical distribution of the selected
initiatives the five welfare systems are covered fairly equally In addition as many
different EU countries as possible are included Each case represents a different country
and 14 different countries have therefore been covered in our analysis
Figure 8 Geographical distribution
Source IESI internal elaboration
Moreover the initiatives analysed represent all the PSSGI areas As shown in Table 5
below most of the initiatives because of the nature of the services offered and their
level of integration involve more than one type of social services
This is in line with the objectives of the IESI research It aims to explore initiatives which
have potential systemic effects on social protection systems and therefore considers the
ICT-enabled social innovation ecosystem (Misuraca et al 2015) in which each initiative
is embedded rather than individual practices focusing on a single area
35
Table 5 Social services addressed
Initiativersquos acronym
Country N of
PSSGI involved
Primary focus area
Additional focus areas
A Book for a Roof
Croatia 5 Education and training
Social Inclusion participation Civic engagement Social Assistance Employment
ACTION Sweden 5 Active Healthy Ageing
Independent living Integrated health- and social care Social Assistance Education and training
BSA Spain 3
Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
CBSS Belgium 4 Social Care Social Assistance Employment Civic engagement
EESTIee Estonia 9 Civic Engagement
Social Care Social assistance Childcare Education and training Social Housing Employment Social inclusionparticipation Independent living
EKSOTE Finland 2 Integrated health- and social care
Social Care
INPS Italy 4 Social Assistance
Social Care Social Inclusionparticipation Civic engagement
Little Bird Germany 1 Childcare None
PASS Ireland 2 Social Housing Social Assistance
PES Netherlands 3 Employment Employability Social Assistance
Pocircle Emploi France 2 Employability Employability Employment
SDW Denmark 5 Social Assistance
Social Care Education and training Integrated health- and social care Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
TDP United Kingdom
3 Independent living
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
W2W Poland 2 Employability Employment
Source IESI internal elaboration
Figure 9 shows the distribution of the selected cases across all the PSSGI covered by
the 14 selected cases It shows that the initiatives deal mostly with the following social
services areas social inclusionparticipation (17 of all initiatives) social assistance
(14) education and training (14) employability (12) and active and healthy ageing
(with all sub-areas combined 10)
36
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services
Source IESI internal elaboration
As explained in Chapter 2 the initiatives were assessed and selected against two
dimensions namely the level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled
innovation potential Figure 10 below illustrates the distribution of the selected
initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map where they have been located according to their
level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map
Source IESI internal elaboration
37
42 Areas of focus across the case studies
As already underlined in Section 2 the selected initiatives have high scores for at least
one of the two following dimensions ICT-enabled innovation potential and level of
governance of service integration The cross-case analysis therefore focuses on the other
two dimensions discussed namely the most significant social innovation elements which
characterise the initiatives and the type of service integration achieved or targeted
421 Social innovation focus
Our analysis shows that some initiatives which were conceived in order to meet new
emerging needs in the context of more complex societal challenges are either rooted in
or give rise to wider ranging structural changes at organizational and management level
(including at governance level) This type of structural change allows the creation and
allocation of new public value for citizens These initiatives normally target a wide
variety of beneficiaries and relevant needs see INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP
For example the implementation of the INPS (IT) initiative well represents a process
whose main initial objective was to move toward a need drivenoutcome-oriented service
production This required a complete redesign of the entire service production process
and the active contribution of all the stakeholders involved such as other public
administrations private intermediaries (Unions Tax Assistance Centres Labour market
consultants) and public and private job centres which resulted in a fundamental change
in the relationship between stakeholders It also transformed completely the traditional
way of managing running and controlling social security services using a new model
based on a client pathway approach This initiative is highly innovative since it improves
access to services in a one-stop shop approach allows the traceability of accounts and
enhances the accountability and transparency of the overall system
PASS (IE) is another good example of structural change and complete innovation in the
design of services for homeless people The overall need was to ensure better
coordination between the different institutions and private operators in the delivery of
services to homeless people The initiative has become a comprehensive client
management system for homeless service users which also provides statistical
information on homeless peoplersquos profiles and their use of the services The initiative has
become a powerful strategic instrument in the fight against homelessness PASS allows
us to identify emerging issues faced by the homeless it facilitates cooperation among
different agencies in order to provide a continuum of care and integrated assistance and
allows better planning of future services In this case the development of user pathways
in and out of the homeless service system which focus on individual needs rather than
on a specific group has also been central to the success of the initiative The system
produces statistical information on the homeless population which is being used by
public and private stakeholders to plan and manage programmes and strategies The
support provided to the homeless is therefore more effective and answers their needs
better This approach is more typical of the Anglo-Saxon welfare model in which private
sector actors are more involved in delivery systems
SDW (DK) is a digital strategy which aims to foster more cohesive welfare through
greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among administrations and stakeholders by
making use of ICTs It also seeks to create better opportunities to improve citizensrsquo
everyday lives in many areas such as healthcare social care labour market and
education through technologies Furthermore the digital transformation of welfare
services gives managers and employees in the public sector a more active role for
instance in motivating and assisting citizens to use technological solutions and get the
most out of them It makes the public sector more dynamic and innovative and capable
of delivering services of high quality As in other Nordic welfare social protection
systems social innovation in SDW is more about complementing and improving existing
public sector-led initiatives where the public sector plays a pivotal role in their success
than creating new services
38
Finally TDP (Scotland) and BSA (ES) allocate public value to citizens by integrating the
health and the social care sectors This facilitates the alignment of service funding and
incentives the promotion of inter-professional teams across the continuum of care as
and strong focused and diverse governance representing all stakeholders These
initiatives also foster a culture of cohesion which while familiar in the Anglo- Saxon
welfare model is more unusual and innovative in the Mediterranean welfare model
Nevertheless all the cases analysed in this section (INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP)
are the result of the general public spending review process in place at a national level
which encourages an overall rethinking of the ldquoapproach to clientrdquo in order to remain
sustainable over time
422 Social Service focus
Other initiatives focus on the social service itself Here the aim is to improve the match
between demand and supply with regard to a specific need These initiatives are
therefore mostly needs-driven and devoted to enhancing the outcomes of the
social protection system They consist of adapting the service supply and its delivery to
evolving needs It is quite a common priority of social protection systems in the Nordic
and Continental European welfare models and it appears in initiatives with a clearly
defined target service and a specific class of beneficiaries
PES (NL) focuses on building an accessible virtual market place in order to bridge the
gap between job seekers with difficulties to enter the labour market (mainly people with
disabilities) and employers who are willing to hire people from this group More precisely
this virtual market place makes more information available in order to allow profiling of
capabilities and competences and also supplies information on possible vacancies In
addition it provides accompanying services such as legal support profiling support etc
All this enhances the transparency of the labour market It allows the disabled to
participate in the workforce and the vacancies available for disabled employees to be
filled It also makes the communication with disabled applicants more timely and
efficient
EKSOTE (FI) and ACTION (SE) target senior citizens and their relatives in the area of
active and healthy ageing and long-term care They seek to reduce the incidence of a
typical condition and encourage people to care for themselves and live independently at
home They also support formal and informal carers The focus is on improving the
quality of care services through a more integrated and coordinated provision of social
services a simplification of the administration better targeting of benefits and it also
directs considerable educational efforts to beneficiaries and caregivers who use the new
services These initiatives enhance the cost-effectiveness of social services and allow the
provision of services which better meet the needs of senior citizens and their relatives
Another interesting case is A Book for a Roof which also targets a clearly defined type
of beneficiary namely homeless people It provides a well-defined social service offer -
ie ICT-training that improves homeless peoplesrsquo chances of finding a job It fosters
social inclusion and promotes the use of internet as an inclusion tool two innovative
components for homelessness services The initiative focuses on homeless peoplesrsquo
chances of re-engaging with the job market It helps them build a positive self-image a
challenge for one of the most complex socially-excluded population groups This initiative
seems to have an impact- albeit on a small-scale ndash on the complexity of needs that
causes homelessness with a simple but effective ldquoreciperdquo It invests in soft skills and
human relationships instead of giving financial or material support The philosophy
behind the initiative is that motivation and partnership can overcome the malfunctioning
or inadequacy of traditional systems This problem is particularly widespread in the
Central-Eastern European welfare states where social care and support are mainly based
on passive allocation of benefits This approach sometimes prevents vulnerable people
from reacting adequately in order to be socially included again
39
423 Open processes of co-creation and collaborative networks
Another group of initiatives focuses on open processes of co-creation and
collaborative innovation networks Their aim is to contribute to establishing new
types of relationships between community and institutions and to capitalize on
partnerships between the public and private sectors The use of information from
different sources for planning purposes is a common aspect of the initiatives belonging to
this group
EESTIEE (EE) for example offers a portal which provides services from various public
institutions through one single entry-point simplifying the administrative burden and
connecting entrepreneurs and citizens with institutions and private-sector entities such
as banks telecom providers and energy companies In this case the availability of
information is crucial for the provision of online procedures that enhance access to
services and participation in service delivery models
Like other initiatives in the Continental welfare model Little Bird (DE) and Pocircle Emploi
(FR) illustrate an extensive statutory social security system based on solidarity Little
Bird contributes to the goals of family-friendly policies that increase maternity and
paternity rights and offer a better work-life balance and easier access to childcare The
approach helps to match the childcare offer and demand by offering information and an
online search tool for parents looking for childcare and facilitating the administration of
childcare facilities for providers The creation of a simple online platform greatly
promoted engagement in civil society parents and providers and other relevant
operators are involved in a collaborative innovation network where they all proactively
develop implement and adopt this innovation by contributing their respective
knowledge Indeed in this open process of co-creation all stakeholders bring their
knowledge information experience and resources especially those that are relevant to
them since they are all direct beneficiaries
In Pocircle Emploi the transformative use of ICTs is apparent in the interactions between
jobseekers and counsellors ICTs are used to improve beneficiariesrsquo digital skills This
increases their employment opportunities and helps fight digital exclusion and social
isolation The Pocircle Emploi 100 Web initiative contributes to addressing policy goals
related to active inclusion strategies by promoting greater engagement of employers and
job seekers improving the quality of services provided and enhancing transparency in
processes and digital access to services
CBSS (BE) sought to address the problems arising from the lack of coordination and
integration of the information flows across different social security actors For example
an information burden is imposed on citizens and companies if they are required to
provide the same information several times It started as a coordinated information
management programme and led to the creation of a permanent and interoperable social
security network which includes all social security institutions operating in Belgium It
therefore acts as a public services integrator in the social security sector This has
allowed the reengineering and full automation of the social security organizational
processes for the benefit of the concerned institutions citizens and companies
W2W is another example of disruptive innovation which relies on the cooperation among
public institutions and private employment agencies The initiative profiles job demand
and supply better and thus creates opportunities which were not available before It has
enabled the co-design of a new set of employment services with shared funding and
shared governance The involvement of private operators in the delivery process is a
rather innovative approach for the Central-Eastern European welfare model where the
private sector has not traditionally played a pivotal role
40
5 Results from cross-case analysis
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems
The cross-case analysis has allowed us to gather insights into the contribution ICTs make
to the implementation of innovation in the social sector and to establish more
sustainable effective and accessible services The results achieved by these contributions
in turn affect the overall contribution ICTs could make to the implementation of the
Social Investment Package and the achievement of its policy goals and objectives
511 ICTs contribute to tackle emerging societal challenges
This section focuses on the enabling role of ICTs in achieving the necessary integration
at different levels This allows the redesign of services a new balance in the relationships
between private and public sector involved in the service delivery process an increase in
the transparency of processes and procedures that consume resources allocated to social
services better identification of individualsrsquo needs and better allocation of budgets
From the cross-case analysis we can see that ICTs play a crucial role in promoting social
innovation and social investment They enhance possible solutions to cope with global
trends which increase the complexity in the delivery of social services These trends are
summarised as follows
a) Supply and demand paradox
The crisis has left a lot of people in economic distress and at the same time public
budgets have been eroded Public administrations must reinvent their role within the
community as follows
Internally leveraging on the possibilities of achieving operational efficiency
(reengineering of production processes shifting resources from back office to
front office leveraging existing assets redefining services portfolios following
activity-based management principles etc)
Externally identifying synergies at inter-institutional level (with other public
agencies at local national and European level) investing in new cooperation with
other private providers at inter-sectoral level (eg intermediaries third sector
organizations academic researchers etc) designing public interventions in a
client-centred way (ldquoclient pathwayrdquo) independently of where the administrative
responsibility for the service lies
With regard to both trends ICTs help to free up resources which can then be reallocated
to processes and activities that create added-value They also play an enabling role in
establishing information exchange which fosters cooperation among different agencies
Rethinking service management and service delivery models to harness new technologies
and approaches and integrating service providers to gain efficiency help to close the
gap between supply and demand and between skillscapabilities and the broadening
range of demands
b) Empowerment of the individual
Global education and increasing awareness of civil rights and consequent responsibility
within communities empower citizens ICTs are helping to give individuals a more central
role in the decision making process They allow individuals to actively participate
through mechanisms such as co-design and co-development in the design and
development of social service models In this respect individuals are increasingly
knowledgeable about their needs and the contribution they can make as service
recipients to aligning social services with demand
41
Individuals play a crucial role in social innovation in both the planning and the delivery
phase They can co-develop service delivery models and assess the quality and
outcomes of the social services
ICTs can contribute to reshaping the ldquoprovider-recipientsrdquo paradigm in the social services
management and delivery model creating new social and economic values that can
counterbalance the decrease in resources The availability of clear trackable and
controlled information empowers individuals increases their awareness and their ability
to participate in the decision-making process Beneficiaries are better able to manage
their own care through the use of innovative platforms and web and mobile devices and
they are in fact becoming increasingly accustomed to these technologies
c) Economic inter-connectedness
International trade and capital flows call for a new way to identify and measure ldquovaluerdquo
In particular social benefits delivery across different Countries or regional systems can
produce overlaps and hamper efficiency and effectiveness when not managed
comprehensively The approach taken must consider all levels of delivery (local national
European) and needs to conceptualize the user in a global and inter-connected socio-
economic system
ICTs make it possible to take a lsquoclient pathwayrsquo approach which puts the beneficiaryrsquos
needs at the centre They improve strategic planning and systems integrity by sharing
information between different agencies Data analytics enable a better understanding of
service usage patterns system outcomes and resources available so they can be
targeted more efficiently and fraud or errors can be detected and countered
The new social value created must be analysed and understood through a common
approach so that it can be distributed fairly among the stakeholders involved
d) Demographic and urbanisation trends
The ageing population in Europe poses new challenges for healthcare welfare and
pension systems At the same time young people will have to be integrated into the
labour market and socially included Migration flows add to the challenge to promote an
inclusive society Moreover it is expected that by 2030 two thirds of the worldrsquos
population will live in cities creating more opportunities for social and economic
development for sustainable living but also increasing pressure on infrastructures and
social resources
Structural interventions are the main instruments to address these socio-demographic
megatrends Current social service systems can only expand to cope with the increasing
demand through a greater use of technologies These allow personalized support enable
independent living at home or in care facilities and help meet savings targets The
widespread use of the internet and of mobile computing devices for example allows
people to help themselves and also fulfils peoplesrsquo expectations in an always-on world
New technologies foster flexibility offer new collaborative working opportunities in
service delivery allow beneficiaries to play a more active role in the design and delivery
of services and make social services more affordable
The cases analysed show that ICTs have helped promote social innovation and social
investment They have also enabled the implementation of new approaches to service
management and delivery In particular ICT tools have been key success factors for
Integrating services We can conclude from our analysis that there is increasing
awareness of the need to integrate human resources and social services in order
to produce more effective solutions to many of the societal challenges For
example the INPS initiative integrated various systems and service models to
provide a single point of customer service through the implementation of a multi-
42
channel approach managed exclusively digitally This innovation in the service
delivery model reduces administrative costs and increases efficiency by
eliminating duplication in processes such as client authentication and verification
which is supported by the automation of these processes INPS also highlights
the need to further improve technological tools in order to expand the portfolio of
services eg by integrating mobile devices into the service model in order to
reach the overall target population PES is another good example of how an
administration (Dutch) can provide users with more effective services by
eliminating barriers to access and offering a more holistic and client-centric
approach This brings together different services to address critical employment-
related needs and builds a real-time labour market place enhancing the match
between labour demand and offer EKSOTE focuses on a new integrated
approach the aim of which is to centralise the allocation of resources on the basis
of the populationrsquos needs and to facilitate the access to services and the
transparency of the information management system particularly for older people
and long-term care patients Its holistic approach helped in the coordination of
welfare and social service public providers Finally TDP strengthens preventive
care beyond traditional hospital-based treatments and promotes full integration of
healthcare services rather than stand-alone or vertical services This approach
has resulted in significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of services
Public Private Partnership Models Our analysis shows that PPPs can lead to
cost efficiencies and help to cope with the need to reduce intervention by the
public sector The result is a better focus on core service components and greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment In the PASS experience a
needs-driven approach was implemented this approach provided new public
value re-allocation giving systematic information to agencies and operators
working with the homeless It led to greater efficiency while maintaining high
quality service delivery The ACTION initiative shows how a technology-based
home care service developed by a public-private partnership can leverage on the
use of ICTs and help older people live independently by empowering them
(through training and expert support) and their family carers It has been
successful in getting older people and their family carers to actively participate in
the initiative Little Bird is another example of a publicprivate partnership
which has reallocated the place of care to the family environment It has
generated benefits for both children and parents by establishing an interactive
process which maps the entire range of administrative functions involved in the
allocation of childcare services In addition the government and the private
entities involved have obtained significant cost savings on service provision
Enhancing accountability the effectiveness of protection system services can
be enhanced by strengthening financial and accounting systems in order to better
detect fraud and address inefficiencies CBSS has fully integrated the workflows of
around 3000 social security national institutions making the whole process
available online This provided single and fast access to all social services and
benefits for customers as well as infrastructure and systems to the involved
organisations which increased agility and data transparency One of the main
lessons learned in SDW relates to accountability it developed an integrated
electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social sector which
allowed social security offices access to all the information needed to calculate all
social security contributions This is used for tracking procedures and to avoid
irregularities
e) Case management
We found that services tailored to and assessed against the changing needs of clients
and care givers increases the cost-effectiveness of service management and delivery
process This approach safeguards the overall sustainability of the service in the mid to
43
long-term W2W and Pocircle Emploi focus on profiling capabilities and the expectations of
the unemployed They customize their support services to match job demands and
supply with surprising results in terms of labour inclusion and reduction in the
unemployment rate A Book for a Roof shows that the individualised management of
care initiatives has found new ways of dealing with homelessness It uses cultural
interventions and focuses on enhancing peoplersquos skills and the use of the internet as an
inclusive environment This approach has increased the motivation of homeless people to
be included in society
512 ICTs contribute establishing more effective and accessible services
This section focuses on the capacity of ICTs to enhance productivity in the care sector
achieve cost savings increase the overall quality of the services from the point of view of
the recipients and build a single-point of access to multiple services
ICTs can improve social service management and delivery models provide new or better
answers to social protection system challenges and needs of individuals establish new
relationships and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders Thus they can contribute
significantly to delivering the reforms needed for the modernisation of social protection
systems
ICTs have been used as enablers of new public management approaches They can
promote pluralistic models of public service provision delivered by business the non-
profit sector and government actors working together increasing the proximity of
services providers to citizens In this respect the cases analysed have revealed a
growing emphasis on the importance of cost freedom of choice and quality of service
provision Government is no longer considered to be the only provider but is instead
engaged in controlling and financing services through the separation of the political
decision-making processes from the management side This new perception of the role of
the public sector role allows services to be delivered by partnerships made up of a range
of public and private actors As a result there is a need for more articulated forms of
cooperation and coordination than inter-agency systems
From the cross-case analysis we can deduce that ICTs contribute to the modernisation
of the social protection system because they allow
More productive care services and cost saving The cases analysed provide
evidence that ICT-enabled social innovation takes the traditional concept of
innovation ndash ie innovation improves productivity and in turn leads to economic
growth (in terms of GDP) ndash one step further They expand this paradigm to a
more complex development model which becomes crucial especially when
considering all the negative externalities (eg unemployment environmental
risks social exclusion etc) that characterise the current development models
The analysed development model can be seen as a form of economic and social
development which implies the sustainable use of all resources Sustainability
seems to be achieved by applying business principles to develop solutions to
social problems and social demands In this framework ICTs have led to the
creation of new jobs and improved the inclusion of marginalized categories of the
population in a virtuous and sustainable socio-economic circle They have enabled
social investments and social innovation to realise their full potential producing a
considerable mid- to long-term impact on society as a whole The cost savings
made in service provision is also crucial if we measure the contribution of social
and health care services to wellbeing These cost savings contribute to increasing
the portfolio of services or improving quality of services which as a result answer
peoplersquos needs better and decrease the burden of social services on tax payers
W2W part of the UK Welfare-to-Work programme was implemented by the
Polish public sector (Polish Government of Malopolska Region) as part of their
employment services It provides good evidence of the potential of ICT to enable
44
the development of a new cooperation model between public labour services
social support institutions non-governmental organizations and non-public
operators The programme aims to design and test outsourcing employment
(back-to-work) services with an individualized and thus more effective approach
to engaging the unemployed This profiling approach has increased the efficiency
of public spending as payments are only made when specific outcomes are
achieved (payment by results) The platform tested by the regional government
of the Malopolska (Cracow) Region serves as a new model for engaging the long-
term unemployed it includes all the information needed to better profile the
unemployed and fill the gap between job demand and workforce Specific
attention is paid to the long-term unemployed for whom the mechanism allocates
more resources in recognition of the greater difficulties faced when trying to re-
enter the job market Different activities are carried out to upgrade the
candidatesrsquo profiles in order to make them more ldquoattractiverdquo for employers The
mechanisms used to monitor and control the success of the activities upon which
payments to actors are based is enabled by ICT tools SDW has also developed
an integrated electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social
sector It aims to make available all the information needed by the social security
offices to calculate all social security contributions This significant ICT-driven
change resulted in a radical transformation paper data exchange was eliminated
and replaced by direct electronic data flows The burden on the administration
was reduced and so was the opportunity for fraud Coordination between services
increased benefiting both citizens and the publicprivate institutions The strategy
focused on digital solutions as a means of increasing service capacity and value
for money through greater efficiency cooperation and knowledge sharing It
enabled communities families and individuals to contribute to the generation of
societal wellbeing Another example is provided by the TDP experience which
showed the large potential benefits related to the cost effectiveness of the care
service delivery process However due to actual reductions in the number of beds
in care homes closure of hospital wards and other not always implemented
service adjustments these efficiency gains did not result in cash savings
Nevertheless based on the lessons learned through the TDP experience a new 3
year Technology-Enabled Care Programme costing pound30m was launched across
Scotland in 2014 This programme aimed to broaden outcomes for individuals in
homes or community settings through the application of technology as an integral
part of quality cost-effective care and support
Enhancing the quality of care The cases analysed showed how ICTs can
contribute to higher quality of service provision They enhance the quality of life
of care recipients improving their health-related quality of life and their social
participation their self-esteem and empower them with better access to services
and multi-channelling approaches They also enhance the quality of life of
relatives and care givers enabling them to reduce the burden of care and
allowing them to reconcile care and work Thus they make social care closer to
the individualrsquos life conditions Finally they also have a positive impact on the
quality of services by facilitating information sharing allowing the use of data
analytics to customise the service delivered and to enhance knowledge skills and
competences In EKSOTE ICTs made an important contribution to the process of
integration of the public and private organizations involved in social care services
for the older population in a functional cost effective and user-oriented
approach The initiative took a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and prevention
approach to the care of older people at home giving them physical psychological
and sociocultural assistance The approach ensures that citizens have equal
access to social and health care services across the boundaries of municipalities
ICT made this initiative possible by integrating information across private and
public organizations along with the care service delivery process As a result the
criteria used to measure and assess needs has been standardised so that all
customers are treated equally in the assessment process This has allowed the
45
centralization of service needs assessment for the whole area by means of an
agile business process development approach This more efficient and
standardized process has given clients in the whole area better services and fairer
access to them Another good example of enhanced quality of care is ACTION
This initiative included remote provision of dedicated information and education
programmes which strengthen ability of older people and their relatives to care
for themselves and cope with the issues that typically arise for frail elderly
people Family carers received on-demand support through ICTs from local
service centres staffed with qualified professionals ICTs also supported
networking and mutual exchange between service users and facilitated the
sharing of information education and support to older people and their family
carers As a direct result the family carers felt more competent and secure in
their caring role and older people gained access to some of the opportunities
offered by todayrsquos information society In addition the service enhanced the
social inclusion of frail older people and their carers traditionally excluded from
the benefits of ICT and helped them gain more overall control over their own
lives enriching the caring relationship Finally professional carers experienced
improved job satisfaction and municipalities benefited from a more effective use
of available resources This was due to the multi-channel approach used to deliver
services which increased quality and led to a more efficient use of staffrsquos time In
the BSA initiative the integration between health and social care departments
was facilitated by the use of ICT through new approaches to service delivery
(such as telemonitoring and teleassistance) This shift from hospital-based or
residential assistance to forms of support at home resulted in considerable cost
reductions It increased the quality of life of both recipients and care givers and
gave rise to a more cost-effective model The change in citizensrsquo perceptions of
how public and private organizations should operate and contribute to wellbeing
had a great cultural impact which contributed to wellbeing promoting
commitment and reducing the digital divide in the district Another initiative
Little Bird addressed familiesrsquo needs to find a childcare service by optimising the
search facility on an ICT platform and providing organizational support to
childcare facilities By seeking to optimize the use of resources for both the
demand and supply side this ICT-based interactive process succeeded in mapping
the entire range of administrative functions used for the allocation of childcare
services This unique package of solutions offers advantages for parents who can
check online and in real-time all childcare services and availabilities From the
providersrsquo point of view the system allows them to predict the demand for their
services Finally public administrations also benefit from having an overview of
spare capacity or surplus demand in the childcare sector allowing them to better
tailor future policies The initiative offers a technical solution that allows more
integrated and cost-effective management of childcare services both public and
private This has contributed greatly to reducing externalities such as the child
care burden for families It has allowed them to increase their productivity and
achieve a better balance between family life work life and child care A book for
a roof finally shows how ICT can play a significant role in setting up a radically
new match between cultural investment and social need The use of ICT for
personal file management and profiling of competences and the use of internet as
an inclusive environment to involve homeless people enhancing their motivation
and increasing their chances of getting a job radically changed the existing
approach to homelessness problems It has therefore led to a paradigm shift in
the provision of social assistance services to the homeless
The set-up of one-stop-shop models Many of the cases analysed introduce
organizational models in which service users are provided with a single entry point
into social protection systems This simplifies organisation enhances service
delivery and boosts the uptake of services In many cases new models of service
provision have been developed which provide more accessible and user-friendly
information They improve the coordination among different levels of government
46
and reduce greatly the administrative burden on customers and providers We
identified several models from fully integrated and physically co-located services
to virtual information portals or frontlines of complex single agencies to umbrella
structures covering several agencies In some cases a single agency was created
to implement a ldquoone-stop shoprdquo offering a wide portfolio of services to its
customers for example INPS This organisation aims to optimise resources for
the entire portfolio of services (including social benefits and pensions) through
digital channels (amongst others the ldquocontact centrerdquo) It developed a completely
new service delivery model which allowed ldquoone shop stoprdquo access to services and
the continuous tracking and monitoring of ongoing service requests The initiative
produced positive outcomes for the Italian population as whole thanks to a
reduction in the payment of undue benefits and the increased transparency and
accountability of the overall system which allows requests and services to be
tracked With respect to public administration effectiveness the digitalisation of
services through INPS allowed the integration of initiatives with other public
operators in the welfare sector and with private intermediaries which avoided
overlaps and helped to optimize the use of public resources for the benefit of the
citizens INPS decreased the workload and made savings of around 1000 FTEs
thereby reducing the public administrationrsquos spending In other cases more
complex structures have been introduced for instance when the one-stop-shop
operates on top of partner organizations Here the aim is to maximize the
convenience also for clients of all other partners by integrating services eg
through intra-governmental partnerships This is the case of EESTIEE and CBSS
In EESTIEE ICTs have been used to build Estoniarsquos information gateway This
complex one-stop-shop mechanism for the provision of online procedures and
information has also fostered technical collaboration between different authorities
ICTs played a key role in the promotion of an extensive digitalisation of public
procedures and had a profound impact on Estoniarsquos operational and administrative
model It also changed the way business was promoted and supported As a
result users gained greater access and the system achieved greater efficiency
Transaction costs and duplication were reduced for citizens providers and
government alike ICTs changed the relationships between government and
citizens and other relevant stakeholders and led to the digital transformation of
public services They also transformed the way services were delivered The CBSS
case helps us understand how the introduction of a one-stop shop to implement
electronic service delivery can lead to a structural reform process In this
particular case ICTs transformed the delivery of social security services by
initiating a business reengineering process within and across all the 3000
organizations involved in the Belgian social security system At the same time
back-office functions were automatized significantly and this reduced the
duplication of information which was significant because of the sheer number of
social security actors The new ICT-based system significantly increased the re-
use of information and made it possible to send responses to beneficiaries and
civil servants automatically This led to a considerable simplification of procedures
and introduced a new more integrated and personalised way of communicating
with citizens and companies which is better aligned with the needs of the final
users
In a more specific field ndash that of unemployment ndash two other one-stop-shop approaches
provide good evidence on how ICTs can contribute to the modernisation of social
protection systems Pocircle Emploi and PES
Pocircle Emploi shows that by placing innovation at the centre of the reform of social
services structural improvements and sustainable outcomes can be achieved This
initiative fully digitalised the support services offered to jobseekers in order to bring them
closer to the labour market Pocircle Emploi improved its web-platform and developed free
online services for the matching of CVs and job offers e-counselling e-training etc
47
that can be accessed by any jobseeker or enterprise The impact achieved in terms of
facilitating access and take-up of employment services and meeting job-seekers
expectations and needs has been remarkable ICTs played a crucial role in this initiative
It developed a platform capable of providing a centralised and secure database of
unemployment information and it became an aggregator of labour market policies and
initiatives The Pocircle Emploi website is now the leading job site in France in terms of
number of users Its success is the reason for the subsequent launch of an ambitious
policy around big data for policy support
In the PES case ICTs have also played a vital role especially in targeting and identifying
final beneficiaries more effectively They have increased the value of employment-related
interventions and trust in government ICTs have led to more inclusive labour markets
and fostered self-employment especially via job market intermediaries They support
social inclusion employment and more general civil engagement activities which target
disadvantaged groups eg the disabled young people and people at risk of poverty and
social exclusion The one-stop shop developed in PES takes a revolutionary approach It
encourages more individuals to actively participate in the labour market and interact with
the government online by giving them the opportunity to use multiple delivery channels
and at times more convenient for them In this case ICTs have brought key benefits to
all stakeholders involved in public employment services and social services provision by
introducing a new optimised online system 90 of the services are delivered via digital
means and through digital interaction In this Dutch initiative digital platforms have
transformed many of the traditional interactions addressing the needs of job seekers
the young the disabled unemployed and employersrsquo requirements and especially setting
up partnerships with municipalities and empowering other social services
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success
Our cross-case analysis identified many innovation elements as key factors which could
in principle determine the achievement of relevant results and therefore the overall
success of an initiative These are briefly explained in this section
521 Active involvement of beneficiaries improves services delivery
Active involvement of beneficiaries and end users is crucial not only during the design
and implementation phases of the initiative but also in the continuous improvement of
the services delivered Mechanisms have been implemented for discussing and
monitoring results and for capturing information on customeruser satisfaction which
allow service providers to better address the needs of users In order to ensure easy
accessibility and usability of services complementary services and training programmes
have been provided These ensure that less technologically advanced users can reap the
benefits from the new service provision A good example is EESTIEE which built an
open process of co-creation and a collaborative innovation network between public
agencies and beneficiaries in an extensive reshaping of the relationships between
community and institutions TDP committed its national health system stakeholders to
rigorous collaboration which caused a fundamental change in their relationships CBSS is
another example of the involvement of beneficiaries which allowed both cross-sectoral
integration between public and private institutions and actors and vertical integration
among national regional and local administrations In terms of civil society
engagement Little Bird involved parents families and providers in the co-design
development and fine tuning of the solution it offered W2W used ICTs to redesign
employment policies and services provision with the cooperation of operators the
information they provided and their interaction with job seekers A similar approach was
followed by Pocircle Emploi which centralised unemployment information with secure
access aggregating and matching labour market supply and demand while supporting
beneficiaries with guided tutoring activity
48
522 Partnership and commitment at different levels are key
Another element of success across the initiatives analysed has been the involvement of
stakeholders representing different social needs and roles Their contribution of
knowledge information experience and resources of different kinds and from different
sources has allowed the definition of innovative solutions The engagement of
stakeholders at different levels was achieved not only because they were committed to
the implementation of the activities but also because it was in some cases the basis for
joint financing of the initiative itself The type of stakeholders identified in the cases
studied included beneficiaries (eg employed and unemployed people older people the
disabled the homeless etc) carers and families private and public service providers
(eg public authorities labour agencies libraries labour market consultants etc)
innovators and researchers (eg universities entrepreneurs and other private service
developers) health and social care professionals trainers and teachers non-profit
organisations (eg carer and patient organisations volunteer organisations trade
associations unions etc) and volunteers A very good example of commitment between
stakeholders at different levels is the INPS initiative which built a new model of service
delivery based on the synergies of different operators This led to a disruptive change in
service delivery through a multi-channel approach where all kinds of stakeholders
played a role including beneficiaries intermediaries and public institutions ACTION
benefitted from the close cooperation between service recipients developers and the
municipality which was of crucial importance for the initial implementation of the service
as well as for the later expansion of the ICT-based intervention which targeted clients
and their families at home PES created a real time labour market which benefitted from
the partnership between job seekers private providers and labour agencies at different
levels contributing to a fundamental change to the traditional services delivery EKSOTE
used the organizational integration of the providers to build a common access point for
users Finally BSA was made possible by cross-sectoral cooperation between social and
health care sectors providers and between providers recipients and caregivers
523 Developing a policy framework to support sustainability is needed
Political commitment andor a policy and regulatory context conducive to the
development and use of ICTs in social services are important enabling factors they
facilitate the success of the initiative and increase its chances of becoming sustainable
In most of the cases analysed policy programmes provided medium- to long-term
funding for the implementation of the initiatives This encouraged the creation of lasting
partnerships accelerated the decision-making process and facilitated the scaling up of
the outcomes achieved TDP for example was able to provide evidence about the
significant potential benefits of a more cost-effective care service delivery process
thanks to the Scottish Governmentrsquos commitment and financing in conjunction with the
National Health care system in Scotland In addition the adoption of a 3 year pound30m
Scotland-wide programme to support a new Technology-Enabled Care Programme
supported further development based on the lessons learned in the TDP experience
W2W is another example of how political commitment coupled with a European policy
which provides funding opportunities allowed the launch of a pilot and helped to
mainstream the service tested Thanks to the commitment of the Central Government
which is considering the potential inclusion of W2W as a model in the forthcoming Labour
Act the service may be transferred to national level In SDW the Danish Government
the local government and the Danish regions accelerated the digital transformation of
some core services in the healthcare sector and identified a number of projects and
initiatives for wider implementation This was facilitated by the national policy framework
in place Finally A book for a roof was supported politically and financially by the EIFL
Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and subsequent contributions from
various public institutions like the Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) and the Zagreb City
Council
49
524 Simplification and automation facilitate access to services
Generally the adoption of new technologies has simplified access to services and the
automation of processes which were traditionally based on a direct relationship between
providers and users The cases analysed contribute to the evidence base which shows
that the digital transformation of services has led to a reduction of the administrative
burden by offering more channels to deliver services increasing the transparency of
management flows and identifying needs and rights more clearly This transformation
also offers users greater autonomy in their use of the services It also reduces the time
and resources they need to engage with services and generally improves their
perceptions of service quality In the case of INPS this process resulted in a general
improvement of the image of public institutions among citizens cost savings and a more
diversified service offer by shifting resources to front-desk activities The adoption of
innovative technological solutions has been well received in the cases analysed partly
because it offers complementary services to support less technologically advanced users
and thus reduces the risk of digital exclusion This is the case of Pocircle Emploi EKSOTE
SDW and ACTION where the simplification and automation processes were implemented
together and intensive training was given to beneficiaries families and caregivers
Finally PASS shows how a transformative innovation which focused initially on the
simplification of procedures and automation processes radically modified the existing
mechanisms of services provision First the delivery of services to citizens was improved
by ensuring that resources were used effectively reducing duplication and fostering the
cooperation of different agencies to provide a continuum of care In turn this promoted
social responsibility pro-active participation and engagement in local communities
525 Electronic exchange of information enables service integration
The case studies show that a critical success factor for social innovation is the integration
of services at both management and delivery level The centralised provision of secure
information about beneficiary needs rights and benefits received has been crucial to
the integration between different providers This integration has allowed the
restructuring of procedures in a client-pathway approach and the provision of a single
entry point for users Shared information systems facilitate the interactions between
actors at various levels of governance (ie collaboration across multiple levels of
government) which in turn facilitate the cross-disciplinary management of different
social areas Information systems integration was generally achieved through the
implementation of progressive database integration coordinated case management and
exchange of data through multiple channels This process allows a more holistic and
client-centric approach that brings multiple services to bear on client needs In PASS
the information exchange between operators was enabled by a system that provided a
more sophisticated and up-to-date way of collecting key information about homeless
services and service take-up In TDP the sharing of information allowed providers to
mainstream telecare services in a number of local partnerships and to integrate health
and social care organisation in the services delivery INPS is a key example of how the
integration of information and its management resulted in huge and pervasive synergies
among public and private operators This led to a comprehensive redesign of service
management and provision in a more client-centred approach
526 Monitoring implementation is crucial to demonstrate results
Our analysis shows that the presence of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating
results has been an important element for the success of the initiatives analysed These
mechanisms permit the early identification of any concerns about the use of the services
Monitoring tools can check the direction taken during the implementation phase They
can also help to address emerging issues so that corrective measures can be taken to re-
calibrate the intervention to answer needs adequately Customer Relationship
Management tools measure customer satisfaction and capture usersrsquo perceptions with
50
respect to the services offered In some of the cases analysed some internal and
external evaluations were carried out The evidence provided highlighted the value of
collecting data on impacts and outcomes of the initiatives An interesting example in this
respect is W2W which developed a monitoring methodology It connected payments
made to labour agencies by the public authorities to outcomes This model also
implemented more effective and convincing dissemination activities which enhanced
awareness of the benefits of the initiative Furthermore in the BSA case an ICT tool was
used by all professionals and social workers to monitor in real time whether activities
programmed for each beneficiary actually took place This tool was also useful for the
payment system as external providers could use it to issue their bills to the BSA
organization Other relevant examples are CBSS PES and PASS CBSS developed tools
to provide statistics and other relevant information on the performance of the Social
Security system in a more comprehensive centralized way PES launched a methodology
to cluster and measure specific labour market data in order to carry out benchmarking
and ldquowhat ifrdquo analyses PASS developed tools to provide statistics to projects about
individual clients and the work of the project as a whole helping the future service
development plan
53 Evidence of impact on service integration
All the initiatives analysed have significant levels of integration of services
procedures sources of funding etc Most of them have achieved a high degree of
integration in many areas often both at the delivery system level and from an
organizational perspective for example the large scale initiatives such as INPS PES
PASS SDW BSA and TDP All these initiatives have had an impact on the service
management system from the identification of the various needs through production to
the channels of distribution In some cases there has been an impact on the promotion
and funding of the services Hence there is strong evidence for integration at many
different levels and in different areas
Even in those case studies where there seems to be less or no horizontal integration it is
possible to appreciate other forms or types of service integration This is particularly true
in EESTIEE Little Bird and Book for a Roof where the impact has been on a specific
aspect of service management eg administrative funding organizational or delivery
system Funding or administrative integration seems to be common in Continental
countries but less common in Central-Eastern welfare systems In contrast in the
Mediterranean Anglo-Saxon and Nordic groups of initiatives integration seems to
happen mostly at the organizational and delivery system levels
Nevertheless all the initiatives have achieved some level of integration by optimising
procedures and processes and in terms of the relationships with other operators and
stakeholders whose involvement has been redefined Most of the initiatives have
achieved inter-sectoral integration by improving coordination of the different operators
both private and public and a clearer definition of their respective roles in the production
and delivery of services especially through innovative public-private partnerships
Though the role played by the private sector in Mediterranean and Continental welfare
systems is not traditionally very proactive we found most cases of inter-sectoral
integration among these groups of countries For instance private operators participate
strongly and actively in the new service delivery models of INPS BSA Pocircle Emploi and
CBSS The role of private operators is crucial even when the initiative is driven mainly by
the public sector Similarly among the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries initiatives
private organisations (both for profit and not-for-profit) are strongly involved In these
cases (eg TDP and PASS) however they play a much more proactive role in service
design W2W the Polish case which adopted a British experience also falls into this
group
51
In the integration process ICTs are clearly an enabling factor which helps to leverage
the various types of information collected provide more targeted answers to the actual
needs of citizens and support the overall governance of the social services sector The
initiatives analysed show that the use of ICTs can enable intermediary operators social
workers and formal carers to play a central andor leading role thus contributing to
greater involvement of citizens in social services management The role of ICTs as
enabling factor was observed in nearly all the initiatives analysed where thanks to ICTs
volunteers and informal carers are playing a more important role regardless of the
welfare model in which the initiatives take place This suggests that it is a common trait
of all social innovation processes
An overview of the main social innovation elements identified in the 14 cases is
presented in Table 6 This table also shows the targeted beneficiaries and the main type
of integration achieved or pursued for each of the initiatives selected
52
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
A Book for a Roof (Croatia) Homeless people Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production A Book for a Roof invested in the employability and inclusion of the homeless by enhancing their skills improving their self-image and helping them build
self-confidence
Funding A Book for a Roof benefitted from an initial grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and built a
partnership with 8 other partners including the Zagreb Council which allowed gaining financial and operational support
ACTION (Sweden) Family carers and the older people
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production ACTION is a need-driven outcome-oriented production approach which developed a new service delivery system to support frail older people and their carers in their own homes with ICTs
Delivery system The initiative allowed a change in the delivery of services using ICTs to support clients in their families and homes
BSA (Spain) All social andor healthcare services recipients within the BSA territory
Public value allocationor reallocation Badalona City Council triggered the integration of health and social departments and sectors in the Badalona area using a userpatient-centric approach
Service Delivery BSA achieved the full integration of health and social care departments organizational structures service delivery models and funding schemes through an Integrated Care Plan which puts patient and users at the centre of the service production process It is a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and social services delivery
CBSS (Belgium) Social security institutions citizens companies intermediaries
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks The combination of back-office integration and ePortal solution developed through close collaboration among the about 3000 social security institutions in Belgium allowed both cross-sectorial
integration between public and private institutions and vertical integration of national-regional-local administrations
Organizational CBSS fostered an intensive collaboration among different operators and led to the development of a network for electronic information exchange addressing social security service delivery
EESTIEE (Estonia) Citizens foreigners national agencies
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks EESTIEE set up a collaborative innovation network between public agencies and private operators providing information assisting citizens and reshaping the relationships between community and institutions
Administrative EESTIEE fostered a huge administrative and organizational redesign of the public service delivery model and provided users with a unique access point
EKSOTE (Finland) Older people and long-term care patients welfare and social service public providers
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production EKSOTE launched a new need-driven integrated approach which facilitates access to services and increases the transparency of the information management system
Organizational The initiative enabled the organisational integration of the providers and provided a common access point for clients
INPS (Italy) Unions intermediaries employment agencies healthcare professionals and Local Health Units (ASL) municipalities regions citizens
Public value allocationor reallocation The process started with a shift towards a need drivenoutcome oriented service production but led to a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Delivery system The initiative led to a complete redesign of the production process (organisational integration) and structural changes to the delivery system
53
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
Little Bird (Germany) Children and parents Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Little Bird promotes engagement in civil society parents and providers together with other relevant actors are involved in a collaborative innovation network to improve childcare facilities management
Delivery system Little Bird led to a new organizational support that provides childcare social service delivery process tackling the challenge of optimizing the use of resources while supporting both the parents and the municipalities
PASS (Ireland) Homeless people homeless agencies
Public value allocationor reallocation PASS was a revolutionary need-driven outcome-oriented production approach in which outcomes are intended to meet the needs of society or specific groups in society in a sustainable way It led to new public value re-allocation providing systematic information to agencies and operators in the field of homelessness allowing them to better plan and act
Organizational The initiative gave rise to a new organizational model involving public and private operators in the field and redesigned the services production process
PES (Netherlands) Job seekers (with focus also on disabled people) employers people on benefits
Need-drivenoutcome oriented production The PES NL reform is a need-driven ICT enabled initiative implementing the employee insurance scheme addressing unemployment workersrsquo rights maternity and sickness coverage
Organizational PES NL created a real time labour market place improving the matching between labour demand and offer through a new organizational channel
Pocircle Emploi (France) The unemployed job seekers public employment service organisations
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Pocircle Emploi developed a centralised and secure information system for unemployment data in order to become an aggregator of labour market players policies and initiatives
Delivery system Pocircle Emploi allowed extensive data collection and interchange among different operators public and private delivering a new approach for job matching
SWD (Denmark) Welfare benefit recipients
mainly the older people social and health services and education recipients
Public value allocation or reallocation
The strategy focused on digital solutions and means to rethink the service production process and increase service strategy to produce value for money and a better allocation within communities families and among individual with needs
Organisational
The Danish Strategy for Digital Welfare modernised public service production to ensure a more efficient and effective provision of public sector services by accelerating the take-up of ICT in frontline public services
TDP (Scotland) Older people in Scotland suffering from conditions like chronic diseases cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
Public value allocationor reallocation The TDP was a national government initiative implemented in rigorous collaboration with the Scottish national health system which developed an integrated care approach with its own funds and resources It provided a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Organizational The TDP led to structural changes in the entire health care system of Scotland both in terms of organization and funding sources
W2W (Poland) Employment agencies the unemployed
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Express Train to Employment used ICTs to redesign the employment policies and services provision in an integrated way with the cooperation of institutions private operators and job seekers
Organizational Express Train to Employment used ICTs used ICT to enable PPP (public-private partnership) through a technological platform where all the actors could share information update data and co-design unemployed services parameters
Source Internal IESI elaboration
54
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives
541 General overview
Many of the 14 initiatives analysed relate to the key SIP objectives in that that they
often have an impact on the modernisation of social protection system through the
integration of service delivery Some examples are INPS BSA ACTION and Pocircle
Emploi Our analysis suggests that delivery of social protection systems is the main area
of modernisation and that it is where most disruptive innovations are found This is
apparent in the initiatives from the Mediterranean and Continental welfare models where
the public sector has played a central role in service management and delivery However
this role has become unsustainable because of the need to reduce public spending and
the increasing complexity of service demand The Continental modelrsquos centralized
approach to service delivery and the unbalanced way different social needs are met by
public services in the Mediterranean model are both issues which have been targeted by
recent welfare reforms Creative ways to cope with decreasing social spending and the
need to improve efficiency had to be found
Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries are focusing on social inclusion strategies Social
services initiatives in these countries are organised around the individual and hisher
capacity to continue contributing to society This is the case with TDP EKSOTE and
ACTION where social investments are directed at redesigning or reengineering services
in order to improve quality of life The Nordic welfare model rests on principles of
solidarity equality and a universalistic approach to welfare service provision Besides the
provision of fundamental social services to all citizens this model is characterized by
strong community involvement and the search for collaborative solutions to the needs of
very specific categories of people (in the above cases older people) Furthermore the
initiatives belonging to the Anglo-Saxon models though driven by a more liberal
approach to service delivery provide services for social categories which are excluded or
at risk of exclusion This is the case of TDP for older people in Scotland and PASS for the
homeless in Ireland W2W is also a good illustration of this in Poland where the
experience in the UK has been reproduced This shows that experiences from different
welfare models can be adapted and tailored to the circumstances in other welfare
models
Last but not least ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs
at critical moments during their lives seems to be a key target of the Central-Eastern
European initiatives we have analysed In these cases the post-communist approach to
social policies led to a situation in which people relied heavily on welfare policies although
the system was unable to respond adequately to the needs This may explain why
initiatives in this welfare model tend to be small scale or based on the involvement of the
private sector with the help of EU Funds For example of A Book for a Roof targets the
homeless and W2W the unemployed as mentioned above Further initiatives belonging
to the Continental welfare model like CBSS and Little Bird seem to focus mainly on the
needs of people in critical moments in their lives However these have been developed in
the wider context of social investment policies which aim to address wider ranging
problems such as childcare throughout Germany and social security in Belgium
Table 7 below provides an overview of the relationships between the initiatives and the
main SIP objectives
55
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives
Contribution to SIP Objectives
Modernizing social protection systems Spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
Implementing active inclusion strategies Investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the labour market
Investing in individuals throughout their life Ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
A Book for a Roof (Croatia)
A book for a Roof combined employment information management and technology (ICT) training to bring homeless people into the labour market
A book for a Roof helps job seekers improve their skills and boosts their motivation through psycho-social support As a result social protection services are able to respond to homeless people at critical moments in their lives
ACTION (Sweden) ACTION allowed a new approach to services through telematics interventions at home promoting more inclusiveness of older people and their families
BSA (Spain) BSA consisted in a great innovation in the social protection system especially concerning health and social care services since it integrated the two aspects under a unique beneficiary-oriented approach producing savings and improving the quality of services
The main aim of BSArsquos Integrated Care Plan is to empower people especially the older people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at home It also helped improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers
BSArsquos integration initiative was triggered by the need to shift from the older paradigm in the delivery service model to a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of worsening of chronicity and other conditions and following the individuals throughout their entire life also thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as tele-monitoring and telecare
CBSS (Belgium) CBSS provided socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have reduced to a minimum the administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
CBSS fully integrated the work flows of 3000 social security institutions guaranteeing on-line management of the whole processes and a unique and fast access to all social rights and benefits
EESTIEE (Estonia) By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies EESTIEE led to the reshaping of the public model to produce and deliver services with a more effective and centralised approach
EKSOTE (Finland) EKSOTE led to the organizational integration of providers and a common access point for clients enabling a more adequate service provision
EKSOTE provided equal access to social and health care services to all citizens in its region of operation across the boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care processes according to which the same electronic patient record system is used in the health care centres and hospitals of all communities belonging to the organization
INPS (Italy) The process of computerization of services resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
The digitalisation of services changed the paradigm for the delivery service model which shifted towards a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to peoples changing needs
56
Source IESI internal elaboration
Little Bird (Germany)
Little Bird provided a safe and convenient solution in the region it operates in across the boundaries of municipalities for the search for allocation and management of childcare services
Little Bird facilitated equal access to early childhood education through an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services
PASS (Ireland) PASS allowed a better inclusion of homeless people redesigned the production process of services improving the integration opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of this category of fragile people
PASS allowed a better outcome-oriented service production which meets the needs of the homeless and is managed in a centralised and more integrated way
PES (Netherlands)
The initiative allowed to cluster information of the labour market at a macro-level and take into account each regionallocal labour market peculiarities producing more efficient results at all PES levels and better outcomes for job seekers
PES allowed to meet critical employment needs building a real time labour market place enhancing the matching between labour demand and offer
Pocircle Emploi (France)
Pocircle Emploi has established itself as coordinator of French initiatives intermediation and an aggregator of other market players enhancing the effectiveness of the employment support
Pocircle Emploi personalized the employment support services improving the job demand and offer matching and aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations employers or business organizations
SDW (Denmark) SDW accelerated the use of ICT and welfare technology in frontline public service delivery with concrete initiatives speeding up the use of efficient and effective digital and technological solutions in healthcare care for the elderly social services and education
TDP (Scotland) TDP improved the inclusion of older people and
their families investing in the capacity of people suffering from conditions like chronic disease cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
TDP produced a structural change in the entire
health care system of Scotland demonstrating how telecare could contribute to the safety and quality of life of older people while significantly reducing costs of health and social care
W2W (Poland) W2W improved the mechanisms to reduce unemployment rates achieve sustainable employment and established partnerships in order to identify synergies and effective and pervasive solutions
W2Wrsquos centralized management of information flows allowed categorizing the employment needs in order to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in the labour market
57
542 Impact on the modernisation of social protection systems
In order to assess how and to what extent the selected initiatives contribute to the
modernisation of welfare systems we have grouped and analysed them in relation to the
following three key areas of welfare
Social security and employment which includes social assistance social care
employment and employability
Social inclusion and participation which includes social inclusion social
housing civic engagement education and training and childcare
Active healthy ageing and care which includes integrated health and social
care prevention health promotion and rehabilitation independent living
a) Impact of the cases on social security and employment
Out of the 14 initiatives analysed 6 implemented changes in social security and
employment as shown in Table 8 below
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment
Initiatives Summary of impact
INPS (IT) PES (NL)
These two initiatives have transformed employment and the delivery of benefit services to those underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient manner (almost all the services are delivered using digital means) Their revolutionary approach allows more individuals to actively participate interact with the government online giving them the chance to use multiple delivery channels with more convenient timeframes
SDW (DK) CBSS (BE)
Thanks to ICTs CBSS and SDW have built a unique information management model which allows carrying out historical and prospective analyses and therefore improving policies and regulations
W2W (PL) Pocircle Emploi (FR)
W2W and Pocircle Emploi have developed innovative competences and job potential profiling tools based on the use of extensive information which allow better assessing actual needs and thus improving the matching between job seekers and employers
Source IESI internal elaboration
Social security and employment refers to the provision of social services and benefits to
support citizens who are unable to meet their most fundamental needs by themselves
This includes their ability to be active on the labour market and receiving a decent
income which allows them to preserve their dignity
The 6 initiatives that have an impact in this area are citizen-centric and propose radical
changes in the approach to social services design and delivery These are the two key
interrelated elements of a new and more sustainable welfare system These initiatives
trigger a review of the portfolio of services offered in order to adapt them to existing and
upcoming societal challenges and reduce public spending
This can be seen very clearly in the initiatives in the Mediterranean and Continental
welfare models where a trend towards more equitable treatment and more
publicprivate partnerships reveals an important cultural change Nevertheless the
initiatives implemented in the Anglo-Saxon group of countries also show a strong focus
on change for instance with the greater implementation of one-stop-shop approaches
Existing approaches to implementing new models of management of social security
services have been rethought in order to improve critical aspects of existing delivery
systems
58
The issues that these initiatives tackle include
The lack of a systematic and comprehensive vision in the relevant social
services legislation
The fragmentation of the actors and institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the regulation financing and delivery of services
The low level of technological innovation in the management of data and
relevant information
The lack of integration between the institutional players in charge of providing
social services and the beneficiaries
The demand for better quality which requires services to bring true added-
value
Reshaping the way services to citizens are produced managed and distributed is
common to all these initiatives It involves extensive integration mainly within public
administrations but also with private operators and intermediaries Most initiatives in this
cluster are led by public sector actors and focus on a thorough rethinking of the delivery
model which leads to a reengineering of the services alongside a revision of the
governance model
The initiatives represent radicaltransformative innovations which by leveraging on ICTs
modify the existing mechanisms of services provision and lead to a paradigm shift that
reframes the nature of the specific problems to be addressed and their possible solutions
Most of the initiatives focus on changing the service provision paradigm to adopt a more
client-centric approach often through the use of one-stop-shops They all seek to
improve access to services distribute resources more fairly and reduce the
administrative burden on users of the service
In all these initiatives ICTs have contributed strongly to inter-sectoral integration They
foster collaboration between government and service delivery providers in the private or
non-for-profit sectors through the shared use of well-structured technological tools The
new model implemented by the initiatives is based on the development of client
pathways which aim to improve service access ensure greater accountability and
transparency in the system as a whole and allow citizens to have greater control over
information that concerns them
The new service delivery model allows one-stop shop access to services fosters the
modernisation of processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services
and allows the continuous tracking and monitoring of service demand In these cases
ICT-enabled social innovation can act as an enabling factor For example ICTs can help
us obtain a complete and more systematic understanding of social security needs and
support e-learning services Thus they can help to improve the employability of an
individual over time andor to improve the integration of the back offices of
organizations in charge of managing social benefits
In some cases ICTs play a game changing role as they enable the integration of
information from different sources which fulfils profiling needs much more accurately
Thus it is possible to customize the service delivered which optimizes both outcome and
citizen satisfaction By allowing better targeting and identifying beneficiaries more
effectively ICTs play a huge role in increasing the value of interventions and citizensrsquo
trust in government Furthermore ICT-based solutions also support social policy reforms
by promoting active inclusion in the labour market
b) Impact of the cases on social inclusion and participation
Another 4 initiatives out of our case selection focused on social inclusion and participation
as shown in Table 9 overleaf
59
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation
Initiative Summary of impact
Little Bird (DE)
PASS (IE)
Little Bird and PASS use ICTs to enhance the modernisation of
social services from several perspectives amongst others better synchronization of the public and private offer of services greater cost-effectiveness reduction of overbooking of services and at the same time reduction of the negative externalities affecting care givers due to the lack of solutions to reconcile family life social inclusion and wellbeing
A book for a roof (HR)
In A book for a roof ICT courses are used to provide homeless with a wider set of competences and to boost their self-esteem as well as to encourage take-up of available public social services The library created a Resource Centre in the shelter now staffed by homeless people The use of ICT allows focusing on the potential of homeless people and training them to become trainers for other people in need
EESTIEE (EE) In EESTIEE ICTs support citizens by enhancing their access to and use of information and services enabling self-help and reducing dependency from the state giving individuals access to both broader contacts and the local services to which they are entitled
Source IESI internal elaboration
The above social inclusion initiatives mainly target disadvantaged groups or people at risk
(eg the disabled people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in general) These
interventions aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to social inclusion by supporting
individuals They help disadvantaged people reach or maintain a higher level of social
inclusion and dignity while reducing the burden on caregivers In general the needs
addressed in this social policy area derive from a complex set of problems that require
the simultaneous provision of structural solutions and first-aid interventions cutting
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
The initiatives in this cluster offer a set of solutions based on a case-management
approach They focus on the provision of quality information and on helping all operators
involved (public and private) understand analyse and better answer the needs of
excluded people through the use of real-time information technology All the initiatives
analysed improve service delivery thanks to a shared information system This facilitates
the interaction of operators and citizens improves the efficiency of services through
more effective use of resources and less duplication of effort and facilitates the
cooperation of all operators who can work together better to provide a continuum of
care
ICT-enabled social innovations in these cases play several roles They enable services to
improve the cost-effectiveness of the collaboration and coordination of the public and
private actors involved in service delivery processes (in these initiatives those
stakeholders which are more aware of the needs of the vulnerable people play an
important role in partnerships) ICTs also act as game-changers by helping public and
private service providers understand the behaviour of people with needs This in turn
serves to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery
model Moreover ICTs provide stakeholders with new channels of effective
communication and new ways of interacting This also includes the beneficiaries which
increases their opportunities for social inclusion reduces the risk of isolation and
increases the opportunities to contribute to society ICT per se can also be a tool for
inclusion For example A Book for a Roof targets vulnerable people who are also
digitally excluded The lack of digital skills exacerbates existing social disadvantages
(Ellen J Helsper 2008) The initiative is structured around the strong belief that access to
computers the Internet and other forms of technology has a significant impact on these
peoplersquos chances of finding a job or building a social network
60
c) Impact of the cases on active and healthy ageing
The main focus of three of the cases we analysed was active and healthy ageing (see
Table 10 below)
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing
Initiative Summary of impact
TDP (Scotland) EKSOTE (FI) ACTION (SE)
In TDP EKSOTE and ACTION ICTs play a crucial role for monitoring activities (automatic data detention and information about health status) and for real time interactions with beneficiaries providing advisory services at home to prevent adverse events and unplanned hospitalizations The disruptive transformation of the care processes allows home care treatments for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF etc) and ageing patients in general Formal and informal care givers can benefit from using such innovations which promote self-management and empower users in the process of shifting the balance in terms of control and increasing the capacity to live independently at home
BSA (ES) In BSA ICTs allowed building the electronic record that gathers all the documents containing relevant information about the status and progress of a patient during the care process Thanks to the interoperability between information systems it eliminated the duplication of diagnostic tests The result is a tool for professionals which provides updated relevant information to guide them in the decision making process (it is also a useful database accessible from any location and care level) therefore promoting continuity of care and coordination between primary and specialised care IT also fosters the development of telemedicine and telecare services
Source IESI internal elaboration
Consideration of active and healthy ageing and healthcare is crucial in view of the
challenges posed by ageing societies to the current set-up of public services delivery The
IESI research has analysed the themes of ldquoIndependent living for older peoplerdquo
ldquoIntegrated health and social carerdquo and ldquoPrevention health promotion and rehabilitationrdquo
demonstrating the great potential ICT-enabled social innovation has in these fields
The three initiatives analysed here adopt new approaches to public services design and
implementation and follow the recent trends in the efforts made by Member States to
deal with growing societal challenges It has become increasingly difficult to match
service demand and supply adequately and there is constant pressure to achieve greater
cost-effectiveness reduce public expenditures for social services and improve
stakeholder participation in the service delivery process These new initiatives illustrate
the paradigm shift towards more proactive public interventions and social policies They
seem to confirm that the social innovation potential offered by the integration of services
plays an important role in reshaping social relationships and collaboration and in the
redesign of care processes In this context citizens and patients experience significant
changes in their roles and relationships with care professionals service providers care
givers etc
In these cases ICTs can drive the organizational transformation of service delivery The
main advantages of this transformation consist in the building of synergies among
services the avoidance of overlaps and the strengthening of inter-governmental and
inter-sectoral integration among the service providers These factors make management
systems more productive and service delivery processes more efficient ICTs help ensure
the overall sustainability of the service in the long term in line with the SIP objectives
which aim to promote active inclusion with significant savings in care services delivery
The impact on the care system and on care professionals is considerable because
integration can lead to the creation of new services which complement or substitute
existing ones Outcomes in terms of savings can be significant due to better alignment of
resources and needs and a redefinition of the role of public interventions and
professional care
61
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed
This section discusses the sustainability of the initiatives analysed and whether they can
be adopted in other contexts Although this discussion was not an explicit objective in the
analytical framework used for the cross-case analysis it is nevertheless related because
it takes a horizontal perspective on all the variables taken into account in our analysis
and the previous findings In fact the capacity of ICT to promote social innovation and
social investments can be measured in terms of the actual sustainability of an ICT
innovation and to what extent it can be scaled up in different contexts within the same
framework or in entirely new environments At the same time the contribution of ICT to
organizational change and to reshaping service design and delivery processes has a long-
term impact in light of the need to structurally reform social protection systems This
section therefore focuses particularly on the success factors that allow the transfer of
knowledge of the infrastructure and of the funding model to other contexts or to more
complex systems
We consider that our case studies show that the knowledge policies and solutions
developed in good practices can be promoted for wider development implementation and
transferability at a local national or European level Thus they can promote the
modernisation of social protection systems through funding policy leadership and by
fostering stronger cooperation among stakeholders Transferability refers to the potential
maximization of lessons learned from the experiences gained in a local setting or in a
pilot by implementing these experiences (or parts of them) in a wider context be it
geographical or organisational
All the cases analysed were selected for their potential sustainability and ease of wider
replication Nevertheless even though a case seemed to have good potential scalability
transferability always depends on a number of contextual variables which may affect the
actual chances of success in replicating the experience (eg funding political context
regulations etc)
Some of the cases analysed acknowledged this limitation and provided evidence of why
the potential for scaling up remained unexploited This seems to be the case of A Book
for a Roof where the need for resources and financial contributions from other library
networks or municipalities also at a European level was recognised as a barrier to
scaling up The lack of an effective policy at local regional national and EU level which
could push the adoption of ICT-based solutions in healthcare and finally the lack of
funding for large trials which could demonstrate the effectiveness of the services seemed
to be the main barriers to wider implementation of ACTION - even though the service
presented a high level of standardization and could be easily implemented in a wider
context and other EU Member States Only the Borarings municipality decided to make the
ACTION initiative part of its mainstream services for older citizens living at home and
their family carers Wider implementation by other municipalities did not follow mainly
because of the tension between the municipalities yearly budgets and the significant
long-term investment required Policy makers opted for cheaper quick-fix solutions over
services that implied waiting longer for returns An added difficulty is the tendency of
municipalities not to invest in prevention Our analysis shows that a barrier to the wider
implementation of the PASS initiative was its technology PASS relies on a new cloud
technology-based computing system which is not fully available outside Dublin Thus
further development and a specific data strategy would be needed for the initiative to be
replicated at national level or for it to be exported to other EU Member States Finally
PES also experienced difficulties as some of its target users were not sufficiently digitally
skilled or were illiterate and thus excluded from accessing services online (estimated to
be 10 of citizens) In this case the rigidity of the model and the lack of a multi-channel
approach which would allow direct contact or telephone assistance seemed to hinder the
transferability of the initiative It seems that a mix of physical and digital services may be
required as digital services do not allow the inclusion of those who lack digital skills
62
On the other hand some of the cases analysed have already been transferred or will be
scaled up We identified three main groups of successfully transferred practices
Scaling up and transferring activities This is the case of SDW and BSA SDW
scaled up to national level successful projects which had been tested at local level
Out of 25 projects 7 projects will be implemented nationally by 2017 Scaling up
BSA proved to have considerable potential since it allowed external professionals
to work within the integrated care system and private investments to flow in The
initiative mainly relied on the integration of the social and health care
departments This process has been consolidated in Catalonia There were plans
to scale this initiative up to national level as it had been identified and showcased
as a good practice by the Spanish government It could also be transferred to
other countries and has indeed been studied by other international institutions
(such as the University of Udine) The case of EESTIEE is somewhat different
Here there were no plans to develop further functionalities content andor
services in the future release of the gateway However the benefits reaped will be
used to include services from other fields (eg adding notification services in
cooperation with various institutions informing users about this service and
expanding entrepreneur-orientated functionalities) EKSOTE has been considered
a good practice by the Finnish government A law has been passed according to
which all districts in Finland will have to adopt this kind of service model by the
end of 2019 thus the initiative will be scaled up nationwide The piloting system
takes advantage of existing components in social and healthcare sector
organizations which do not require major investments or changes in the
architecture system The existing methodology makes it perfectly possible to
transfer the experience to other European contexts The transferability of some
initiatives has been indirectly confirmed by funding activities for example TDP
organised a number of knowledge dissemination activities and various knowledge
transfer events (conferences workshops etc) in the UK and Europe The
evaluation of the programme was also widely shared electronically It is one of the
good practices in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing for which Scotland was awarded 3 Star Reference Site status Evidence of
its transferability can be seen in the launch of two important programmes jointly
funded by the EC and the Scottish Government (United4Health and SmartCare)
which support people with long-term conditions living in Ayrshire Renfrewshire
and Lanarkshire The objective is to leverage telecare services in these local
communities and to transfer the experiences of Scottish telecare across the EU28
W2W transferred the British W2W experience to the Region of Malopolska where
the model is perfectly replicated The Polish Government is planning to expand the
project to other regions and has devised a new systematic intervention to re-
engineer the social welfare support to the long-term unemployed at a national
level based on the outcomes of W2W
Technology and structural transferability This was the case of Pocircle Emploi that
was scaled up by the agreement signed in December 2014 for 2015-2018 with
the Government and UNEDIC The scale up of the initiative was oriented to
enhance the opportunities offered by the portal in the direction of establishing
itself as the coordinator of French intermediation initiatives and as an aggregator
of other market players The CBSS experience also provides important lessons for
governments that are striving to improve services for the users and especially for
companies by adapting internal and external processes with the help of modern
technologies The CBSS systemrsquos architecture could evolve into a Pan-European
service andor be transferred to other European contexts thanks to its
compliance with international technological standards Little Bird was considered
good practice by another 25 German municipalities which are planning to
implement it Local administrations showed great interest in the initiative because
it helps make significant cost savings In addition all the modules of the solution
are closely integrated which makes it highly adaptable to local requirements Its
63
open software means that this project can be easily scaled up in other
communities cities and countries and evolve to a European level Another
relevant example of technology transferability is the case of INPS which takes
advantage of the ldquomobile erardquo Due to the decisive role that its ICT assets can
play within the Italian public sector the Italian Institute of Social Security (INPS)
is becoming a ldquohubrdquo for Italian institutions not only in employment services but
also in the overall social protection system INPS has invested significantly in ICT
infrastructure in the last decade in order to implement the INPS digitalisation of
services It is now in a position to lead the public inter-operability and information
exchange process The legal framework envisaged for the implementation of the
Public Connectivity System (SPC) which is one of the main pillars of the
implementation of the European Digital Agenda also contributed to this
64
6 Conclusions
61 Key results
611 General contribution from ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives
To sum up it is worth repeating that ICTs do make an important contribution especially
when combined with further elements that through the case studies and the cross-case
analysis have been identified as key drivers of successful ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives
The involvement of beneficiaries in all phases of an initiative (including design
implementation and follow-up) might be enabled by the use of ICTs and in turn it
contributes to exploiting one of the main potential attributes of ICTs ie to support the
development of new relational mechanisms As a consequence the building of
partnerships and stakeholder commitment at different levels (eg to implement or even
jointly finance an initiative) is crucial to take full advantage from the contribution offered
by ICTs especially when the public sector needs to implement a policy targeted to
different types of beneficiaries In particular political commitment and a certain ability to
shape broad policy frameworks are both conducive to the use and development of ICT in
social services The development of monitoring tools alongside an ICT-based innovation
to demonstrate results and facilitate transferability is a further key factor for making an
initiative successful
Moreover it is worth noticing that the contribution ICTs are able to offer is especially
strengthened by clear information exchange and multi-channel approaches This depends
on the fact that such approaches ndash as emerged from the different case studies analysed
ndash are a key enabler of integration ICTs facilitate the sharing of information and enable
the integration of services thus enhancing the impact of social services delivery
As detailed in presenting the case studies and the cross-case analysis it is possible to
appreciate that the contribution of ICTs to integration processes and therefore to the
improvements of social service delivery might assume different shapes
For instance ICTs create client pathways and focus on outcomes they enable a more
targeted and personalized approach that allows clients with complex needs to receive
coordinated services Moreover ICTs provide evidence of demonstrable improvements to
outcomes delivered
ICTs also allow greater coordination between different levels of government which is
essential to improving system integrity and reducing duplication and gaps in service
provision This contribution might have positive consequences also with regard to the
social service provider accountability When the latter is the public sector greater
accountability and transparency mean in turn a contribution in terms of their democratic
legitimacy establishing indeed a closer and trustworthy relationship between itself and
the citizens
In line with the mentioned improvement of the relationships between the public sector
and citizens a further contribution ICTs give to the simplification and an easier take-up
of services needs to be mentioned the consolidation of the one-stop-shopno-stop-shop
approach Through such a way to re-design the access to services users are provided
with a single entry point into social protection systems making of ICTs an important
medium for the institution-citizen relationship
By bringing together stakeholders from public private and not-for-profit sectors in formal
networks ICTs help to address complex social problems through coordinated local level
interventions including resource sharing and joint social investment strategies In other
words the potential of ICTs through partnership creation and network integration
allows offering clients seamless assistance and care
65
Overall ICTs play an important role in the modernization of social protection systems
enhancing social services quality and equal opportunityfair access ICTs are especially
effective with regard several dimensions ICTs can (i) support the process of social
services delivery reform by offering opportunities for open collaboration and
participation (ii) help to fully digitalise processes and improve payment mechanisms
which saves on operational costs and provides benefits (iii) increase the effectiveness of
interventions and reducing social services fragmentation and duplication across
organisations and countries (iv) make social services more proactive and closer to the
point of need by identifying and targeting beneficiaries effectively (v) provide a way of
increasing accountability while transforming and extending service delivery to the
underserved
612 ICT-enabled social innovation contribution to the implementation of the Social Investment Package objectives
The case studies and the cross-case analysis provide useful insights into the factors that
have been critical to an initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social
innovation They also show how these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the
Social Investment Package objectives
a) Modernizing social protection systems spending more effectively and
efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies or departments
many initiatives reshaped the public model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach (EESTIEE) In particular the exploitation of ICTs
resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the
social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
(INPS) The contribution ICTs give to the modernization of social protection system is
often and mainly related to their ability to reduce to a minimum the administrative
burden for citizens companies and civil servants (CBSS)
b) Implementing active inclusion strategies investing in peoples skills and
capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the
labour market
The combination of employment information management and ICT training allows the
redesigning of the production process of services the improvement of integration
opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of fragile people especially into the
labour market (A Book for a Roof W2W ACTION) The integration of services
facilitated by the use of ICTs aims to empower people especially homeless people older
people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at
home or to find job opportunities It also helped improve the quality of life of the
beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers Moreover the equal access to health
and social care services to all citizens in the region of operation across the boundaries of
municipalities directly contributes to strengthening the inclusiveness of social protection
systems and therefore to enhancing peoples opportunities to integrate in society
(EKSOTE TDP)
c) Investing in individuals throughout their life ensuring that social protection
systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
By recognising the importance of skills and active inclusion strategies through psycho-
social support many initiatives succeeded in boosting beneficiaries motivation which
66
responded to their needs at a critical moment in their lives (A Book for a Roof W2W
ACTION) The contribution offered by ICTs often consists of changing the paradigm for
the delivery service model which might shift towards a beneficiary-centric approach
reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to
peoples changing needs (INPS BSA CBSS) The ability to adapt to peoples needs is
achieved by ICTs through personalization of services especially important in the field of
employment support services where it contributes to improving job demand and supply
matching by aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations (Pocircle Emploi PES)
62 Policy implications
Findings from the analysis of case studies allowed us to draw some general policy
implications for policy making at local national and EU level A first set of policy
implications is related to the issue of welfare systems sustainability With regard to this
first dimension the aim is to spot some major social issues in which ICTs might offer an
important support without structural or wider reform attempts A second set of policy
implications is based on the fact that in order to take full advantage of the potential ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives have some contextual and complementary policy
initiatives are needed Finally a third set of policy implications mainly deals with the
needed administrative changes and the required financial support especially in view of a
more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social innovation potential
I Not only are ICTs enabling factors for the modernisation of social protection
systems they can also safeguard the sustainability of welfare systems
themselves
As some of the cases analysed seem to demonstrate for instance CBSS PASS SDW
and BSA ICTs contribute to solving the structural imbalance between emerging and
growing social needs (which require that services be implemented more effectively) and
the decreasing or limited financial resources available to do so
In particular the cross-case analysis shows that ICT-enabled social innovation can help
social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected
by different health and social conditions and require multiple services
Technological advances have made it possible to link information across
programme areas and to identify individuals with complex needs and hence target
them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used
to having access to information and services through web and mobile devices
New digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with
service providers across a range of industries including the social services and
more generally the welfare area
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour
market participation of all members of the working-age population A new wave of
welfare-to-work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments
trying to reduce demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from
finding sustained employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and
demand
Cope with budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to
widespread public sector austerity measures in many developed economies These
pressures mean that service integration and optimisation are becoming
increasingly attractive options for governments looking for higher cost
67
effectiveness in service delivery Allocating higher percentages of resources and
incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated
to the most effective and efficient initiatives They must be scaled up or
transferred to other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics
functionalities allow us to leverage the evidence collected and better allocate
resources on the basis of the specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information
regarding the policy interventions undertaken and its results This data can then
be shared in order to inform policy makers and support the decision making
process to develop or adapt future policies
II Technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for social innovation
and social investment to fully deliver on their promises
As shown in some of the cases ICTs are crucial but sometimes not sufficient to achieve
the expected benefits For ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to fully realise their
potential other enabling factors must come into play
Workforce development the empowerment of workers (eg in care) and job
seekers requires investment in their skills and competences They must also be
given new and flexible ways of participating in the labour market Employers and
public institutions must invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation
working groups They must also envisage staff co-location and develop joint
training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and fill any
skills gaps that may arise This also requires the creation of new roles and a
review of existing jobs in order to adapt them to the changing environment and
the evolving needs of the workforce (see ACTION INPS Digitalization of services
and Pocircle Emploi)
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third
sector providers should be promoted and the development of innovative
initiatives should be facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for
the integration of such practices into actual practices and for scaling up (see TDP
PES NL and EKSOTE)
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms for funding schemes
seem to be efficient in promoting coordinated interventions to address common
and shared social problems in an outcome-oriented approach Other schemes
such as ldquopersonal budgetsrdquo (sums of money allocated by a local authority to
service users to be spent on services to meet their needs) produce effective
incentives because they enable users and case managers to freely purchase the
desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they foster the creation
of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are closer to the
needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms have been implemented in
order to encourage integration and collaboration among different service providers
(see W2W and A Book for a Roof)
III ICTs development and implementation must be combined with re-
engineering of organizational structures so that they can cope with the
innovations This also requires finding resources eg the European
structural funds
Simplification of service procedures through an open-government approach the
increase in information and knowledge exchange and in openness and
transparency provide new opportunities for public administrations to offer user-
68
friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs and the administrative
burden The open government approach can encourage this transformation by
opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration for the design
production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and
decisions enhance transparency accountability and trust in government (see
EESTIEE Little Bird and PES)
Use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 period to
further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector National and regional
authorities are in charge of drafting their Partnership Contracts - Partnership
Agreement with the European Commission which form the basis for delivering ESI
funds These institutions can therefore play a proactive role in both the allocation
of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-financing
requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another (see W2W)
63 Future research
The case studies and the cross-case analysis have helped us identify a number of gaps
that future research could address More systematic collection and publication of
data on relevant initiatives are needed In order to gather as much information as
possible on the identified initiatives and to collect as many relevant opinions and points
of view that could add value to the information gathered through desk research the
research team interviewed relevant stakeholders for each of the selected initiatives
However even though the interviews made it possible to draft in-depth analysis reports
and allowed the research team to better understand the case studies getting in touch
with additional stakeholders would have been desirable Since information is often
difficult to find direct interactions with stakeholders can be the only way to access
relevant and important information on activities performed resources allocated
outcomes achieved barriers encountered and lessons learnt More efforts should go into
making the results of these initiatives public and data (eg on outcomes) should be
more systematically collected Another difficulty faced by the research team is the
breadth of the research field and the limited resources available for developing case
studies which are a time and resource-consuming exercise per se Indeed developing 14
case studies covering 14 different countries has been a challenging exercise which only
gives a snapshot on half the EU Member States In order to obtain a more solid evidence
base greater coverage of the different services and geographical areas would be
desirable This would enhance the validity of the findings in the cross-case analysis A
continuation of this research should perhaps focus on a specific area such as employment
or social inclusion Further initiatives could be identified in that selected area through
country studies each of which would target a given number of initiatives This could be
effectively achieved by involving key informants in the selected countries
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect the direction of future
research Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes
have also been recognised as part of a strategy in support of social policy innovation
initiatives and it could be interesting to explore these further since they could offer the
policy maker new organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business
models effectively contribute to social change
It is important to answer the question of whether social policy innovation strategies
especially those enabled by ICTs can be embedded in the policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other words it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox
69
At the same time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies
will not be the panacea for all welfare state challenges but rather one of the social
protection layers of future welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the
future of welfare systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as
supplementary minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits
schemes
Nevertheless social policy innovation initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an
important role represent an important means of modernising social protection systems
ICTs need to be used as part of a broader strategy designed and led by the public sector
which becomes an even more important actor and will also take on the task of
coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
Thus we suggest that a broader inventory of effective social policy innovation initiatives
should be compiled and researched This would help us answer some of the questions
that emerged from the IESI research and described in this report lsquohow can the public
sector ie the Member States pursue this ambitious taskrsquo lsquowhat kind of tools do
Member States need to harness a multi-layer welfare system of this kindrsquo and
especially lsquowhat type of knowledge do national and supranational policymakers need to
deal with such an important and complex responsibilityrsquo
To address these and others questions the JRC is considering establishing a permanent
online observatory and knowledge platform to monitor and transfer innovative practices
of social policy innovation This platform will focus on social services delivery mechanisms
and welfare governance models
To support this process further data collection and revision of the conceptual and
analytical framework underpinning the IESI research are needed This requires a broader
unit of analysis which can enrich the findings so far and gather and represent the main
features of what the EU Commission has labelled acutesocial policy innovationacute This will also
shape the future research that could become the backbone of a JRC Observatory on
Social Policy Innovation
70
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Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Is Open Data Enough E-Governance Challenges for
Open Government Int J Electron Gov Res 10 1 19ndash36
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2015) Shaping public sector innovation theory an
interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation Electron
Commer Res 1ndash20
Molina O (2011) ldquoPolicy Concertation Trade Unions and the Transformation of the
Spanish Welfare Staterdquo en Guilleacuten AM Leoacuten M (eds) The Spanish Welfare
State in European Context Ashgate Farnham pp77-96
Montero A van Duijn S Zonneveld N Minkman M Nies H (2016) Integrated
Social Services in Europe European Social Network Brighton
Moore MH Creating public value strategic management in government Harvard
University Press Cambridge Mass (1995)
Morel N (2007) lsquoFrom Subsidiarity to lsquoFree Choicersquo Child‐ and Elder‐care Policy
Reforms in France Belgium Germany and the Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy amp
Administration 41(6) 618ndash37
Morel N Palier B amp Palme J (2012) Towards a social investment welfare state
ideas policies and challenges Policy Press
Mulgan G (2007) Social Innovation What it is why it matters and how it can be
accelerated London Young Foundation
Mulgan G (2009) The art of Public Strategy Mobilizing Power and Knowledge for the
Common Good Oxford
Mu ller K (2002) lsquoBeyond Privatization Pension Reform in the Czech Republic and
SloveniarsquoJournal of European Social Policy 12(4) 293ndash306
Munday B (2003) European Social Services A Map of Characteristics Report prepared
for the Council of Europe
Murphy M (2007) lsquoThe Emerging Irish Workfare State and Its Implications for Local
Developmentrsquo in Taming the Tiger Social Exclusion in a Globalised Ireland
Dublin TASC A Think Tank for action on Social Change (pp 85ndash112)
Murphy M (2008) lsquoIdeas Interests and Institutions Explaining Irish Social Security
Policyrsquo Combat Poverty Agency Research Working Paper 0808
Murphy-Lawless J (2000) lsquoChanging Womenrsquos Lives Child Care Policy in Irelandrsquo
Feminist Economics 6(1) 89ndash94
Natali D Pavolini E (2014) Prowelfare Providing welfare through social dialogue A
new role for social partners Executive Summary Results of the comparative
analysis of Voluntary Occupational Welfare
ND NSR (2014) National Social Report 2015 ndash Netherlands
Nelson H (2008) ldquoPublic employment and multilevel governance in unitary and federal
systemsrdquo in H-U Derlien and BG Peters (eds) The State at Work (volume 2)
Comparative Public Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar 33-64
Nelson M (2012) lsquoMaking Markets with Active Labor Market Policies the Influence of
Political Parties Welfare State Regimes and Economic Change on Spending on
Different Types of Policiesrsquo European Political Science Review
79
Nesporova A (1999) Employment and Labour Market Policies in Transition Economies
GenevaILO
Nikolai (2012) Towards social investment Patterns of public policy in the OECD worldrdquo
in N
Noumllke A and Vliegenthart A (2009) lsquoEnlarging the Varieties of Capitalism The
Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europersquo World
Politics 61 670ndash702
OECD (1997) Managing Across Levels of Government Part One Overview Paris
OECD (2005) Pensions at a Glance Public Policies across OECD Countries Paris OECD
OECD (2014) Society at a Glance 2014 OECD Social Indicators OECD Publishing
Olson O J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds (1998) Global Warning mdash Debating International
Developments in New Public Financial Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag
Bergen Norway
Orenstein M (1994) The Political Success of Neo-Liberalism in the Czech Republic
CERGE-EI Working Paper Series 68
Oslashsterud Oslashyvind and Per Selle (2006) Power and Democracy in Norway The
Transformation of Norwegian Politics In Scandinavian Political Studies 29 1 pp
25- 46
Palier B (ed) (2010) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare State
Reform in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Pallot J (1999) The New Zealand revolution in O Olson J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds
Global Warning mdash Debating International Developments in New Public Financial
Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag Bergen Norway 156ndash84
Pallot J (2000) Experimenting in the Antipodes Long Term Financial Planning in New
Zealand Local Government EIASM International Conference on Accounting
Auditing and Management in Public Sector Reforms Zaragoza Spain
Palme J (2005) Features of the Swedish Pension Reform The Japanese Journal of
Social Security Policy 4(1) 42ndash53
Peters B G (2008) ldquoRegional government and public employmentrdquo in H-U Derlien
and BG Peters BG (eds) The State at Work (volume 2) Comparative Public
Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar pp 65-76
Phillis J A Deiglmeier K ndash Miller D T 2008 Rediscovering Social Innovation In
Stanford Social Innovation Review fall 2008 (wwwssirevieworgarticlesentry)
Phills J A (2009) Rediscovery social innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review
Pisano U Lange L and Berger G (2015) Social Innovation in Europe an overview
of the concept of social innovation in the context of European Initiatives and
practices ESDN Quarterly Report ndeg36 Report prepared by the Institute for
Managing Sustainability of Vianna University of Economy and Business
PL NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Poland
PL SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Poland
Plantenga J Remery C and Takacs J (2012) lsquoPublic Support to Young Families in
the European Unionrsquo in Work Family Policies and Transitions to Adulthood in
Europe Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Pollitt C amp H Summa (1997) Trajectories of reform Public management change in four
countries Public Money amp Management Jan-March7ndash18
Pollitt C Bouckaert G (2000) Public Management Reform A Comparative Analysis
Oxford University Press Oxford
80
Pollitt Christopher (2003) The essential public manager Berkshire Open University
Press
Porter M E amp Kramer M R (2011) Creating shared value Harvard business
review 89(12) 62-77
Potucek M (2007) lsquoThe Czech Republic Tradition Compatible with Modernisation in
Kvist J and Saari J (eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol
Policy Press (pp 137ndash52)
Rhodes M (2000) lsquoRestructuring the British Welfare State Between Domestic
Constraints and Global Imperativesrsquo in Scharpf FW and Schmidt VA (eds)
Welfare and Work in the Open Economy Oxford Oxford University Press (pp
19ndash68)
Russell H OrsquoConnell PJ and McGinnity F (2007) lsquoThe Impact of Flexible Working
Arrangements on Work-Life Conflict and Work Pressure in Irelandrsquo Economic and
Social Research Institute Working Paper
Sacchi S and Bastagli F (2005) lsquoItaly Striving Uphill but Stopping Halfwayrsquo in
Ferrera M (ed) Welfare State Reform In Southern Europe Fighting Poverty
and Social Exclusion In Italy Spain Portugal and Greece London Routledge
(pp 84ndash140)
Sapir A (2006) Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models JCMS
Journal of Common Market Studies Volume 44 Issue 2 pages 369ndash390 June
2006
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2007) lsquoRe-familisation of the Czech Family Policy and Its
Causesrsquo International Review of Sociology 17(2) 319ndash41
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2009) lsquoNeo‐liberalism by Decay The Evolution of the
Czech Welfare Statersquo Social Policy amp Administration 43(2) 186ndash203
Schludi M (2005) The Reform of Biskmarckian Pension System Amsterdam
Amsterdam University Press
Schmidt VV (2002) lsquoDoes Discourse Matter in the Politics of Welfare State
Adjustmentlsquo Comparative Political Studies 35(2) 168ndash93
SE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Sweden
Sirovaacutetka T Hora O (2011) lsquoThe Czech Republic -Activation Diversification and
Marginalisationrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 255ndash77)
Sivesind KH (2014) The changing role of private and nonprofit welfare provision in
Norway Sweden and Denmark and consequences for the Scandinavian model
Paper for the 12th Annual ESPAnet Conference Oslo 4-6 September 2014
Sjoumlberg O (2011) lsquoSweden - Ambivalent Adjustmentrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D
(eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-
industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 208ndash
31)
Sotiropoulos D amp Bourikos D (2014) Economic Crisis Social Solidarity and the
Voluntary Sector in Greece Journal of Power Politics amp Governance Vol 2 No
2 pp 33-53
Spear R Defourny J Faverou L Laville JL (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in
Europe The Contribution of The Social Economy Aldershot Ashgate
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
81
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Szelewa D Polakowski MP (2008) lsquoWho Cares Changing Patterns of Childcare in
Central and Eastern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 18(2) 115ndash31
Taylor G (2005) Negotiated Governance and Public Policy in Ireland Manchester
Manchester University Press
Toharia L and Malo MA (2000) lsquoThe Spanish Experiment Pros and Cons of
Flexibility at the Marginrsquo in Esping-Andersen G and Regini M (eds) Why
Deregulate Labour Markets Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 307ndash36)
Torfing J (1999) lsquoWorkfare With Welfare Recent Reforms of the Danish Welfare
Statersquo Journal of European Social Policy 9(1) pp 5ndash28
Torres L (2004) Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental
countries Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 63 Issue 3 pages
99ndash112 September 2004
Trampusch C (2009) Der erschoumlpfte Sozialstaat Transformation eines Politikfeldes
Frankfurt Campus
UK NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash United Kingdom
Valentova M (2012) lsquoEmployment Breaks due to Childcare in The Czech Republic
Before and After 1989rsquo Work Employment and Society 26(2) 266-81
Van Berkel R de Graaf W and Sirovaacutetka T (eds) (2011) The Governance of
Welfare States in Europe Houndmills Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan
Van Hooren F and Becker U (2012) lsquoOne Welfare State Two Care Regimes
Understanding Developments in Child and Elderly Care Policies in the
Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy and Administration 46 (1) 83-107
Van Oorschot W (2004) Balancing work and welfare activation and flexicurity policies
in The Netherlands 1980ndash2000 International Journal of Social Welfare Volume
13 Issue 1 pages 15ndash27 January 2004
Večerniacutek J (2008) Social Policy in the Czech ldquoRepublicrdquo The Past and the Future of
Reforms East European Politics amp Society 22(3) 496-517
Visser J (2002) lsquoThe First Part-time Economy in the World a Model to Be Followedrsquo
Journal of European Social Policy 12(1) 23ndash42
Visser J and Hemerijck A (1997) A Dutch Miracle Job Growth Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wall K (2009) lsquoPortugal and Spain Two Pathways in Southern Europersquo in Kamerman
SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies Children
Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp 207ndash26)
Weishaupt JT (2010) lsquoA Silent Revolution New Management Ideas and the
Reinvention of European Public Employment Servicesrsquo Socio-Economic Review
8(3) 461ndash86
Weishaupt JT (2011) From the Manpower Revolution to the Activation Paradigm
Explaining Institutional Continuity and Change in an Integrating Europe
Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wolk A Kreitz K (2008) Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact A Social-
Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social problems Cambridge Root Cause
Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) (2010b) The Provision of Public Services in Europe
Between State Local Government and Market Cheltenham Edward Elgar
82
Young R (2008) Social Value and the Future of Social Entrepreneurship In Social
Entrepreneurship New Models of Sustainable Social Change Oxford Oxford
University Press 2008
Zeitlin J (2003) Introduction Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy
European and American Experiments in Zeitlin J and Trubek D (eds)
Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy European and American
Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
List of web sites and repositories investigated
Web sites related to social sciences like H-Net Academiaedu Social Science Space
Social Science Research Social Science Statistics Center for Philosophy of Natural
and Social Science
Repository libraries related to social sciences like Social Science Open Access
Repository Economic and Social Research Council Social Sciences Health and
Education Library European Social Innovation Research
Universities related to social sciences like
TU-Dortmund (httpwwwwisotu-dortmunddewisodefakultaet) University of
Helsinki (httpstuhathalvihelsinkifiportalenpublicationssearchhtml)
University of Glasgow (httpeprintsglaacuk ) European University Institute
(httpcadmuseuieu ) Humboldt Universitaumlt Berlin (httpwww2hu-
berlindeforschungfdb )
Member States websites related to the Social Protection Systems
World Health Organization web site
London school of economics web site
DG EMPL website
EU Bookshop
Website of Institutions that promote awards to worthy initiatives (ie European Public
Sector Award - EPSA)
Professional human resources web sites like wwwhrcom in which it is possible to find
information focusing on major employment issues
Database of the European Association Working for Carers httpeurocarersorg
(httpeurocarersorgcarictindex2phptask=projectsamporder=nameampdir=ASCampd
b=2ampkeyword=independent+living )
The web and the blog spheres by searching for basic expressions related to the topic of
interest in traditional search engines (Google Bing etc) and investigating
targeted information gathering portals
Other sources of information related to the topics of analysis such as
KPMG Professional Network and the Centre of Excellence
Interaction with the Advisory Group
The Annual Growth Survey 2015 edited by the European Community
The Jointly Employment Report 2015 edited by the European Community
83
List of abbreviations and definitions
JRC Joint Research Centre
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
ICT Information and Communication Technology
PSSGI Personal Social Services of General Interest
SIP Social Investment Package
SI Social Innovation
DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
IESI ICT enabled Social Innovation in support to the Implementation of the
Social Investment Package
EU European Union
SPC Social Protection Commitee
SPPM Social Protection Performance Monitor
GDP Gross Domestic Product
COM
PSS Personal Social Services
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CVD Cardiovascular Disease
HF Heart Failure
BEPA
EPSA European Public Sector Award
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
84
List of tables
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems 17
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops 26
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation 32
Table 4 Selected Case Studies 33
Table 5 Social services addressed35
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration 52
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives 55
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment 57
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation 59
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing 60
85
List of figures
Figure 1 Research Design 9
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology 13
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework 13
Figure 4 Analytical framework 14
Figure 5 The integration continuum 22
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation 23
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments 27
Figure 8 Geographical distribution 34
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services 36
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map 36
86
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies
A BOOK FOR A
ROOF (ABFR)
ZAGREB CITY LIBRARIES
Country Croatia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 400
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production
Sustainedorganisational innovation
Open process of co-
creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is seen as a new threat in most Croatian cities as it was largely ignored by policy makers until the Social Welfare Act in 2012 Since then several stakeholders ndash public and local government authorities trade unions employers and civil society organizationsrsquo representatives ndash have been involved in the drafting of the Strategy for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion in Croatia (2014-2020) One of the objectives in this strategy was to elaborate guidance on the necessary actions to improve care services for homeless The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has carried out a new plan - Consolidated Plan for the Care of the Homeless Persons during Extreme Winter Weather Conditionsrsquo - to implement specific actions that will allow a better provision of social services for
homeless The plan was the result of a multi-governance
87
collaboration between the national level large towns
municipalities homes for the elderly and the infirm and homes for mentally ill adults Its aim was to secure better data from the local authorities in order to plan effectively the availability of an adequate number of temporary structures as well as other services to help homeless people during the coldest months of the year
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) a network of public libraries that serves Zagreb and Zagreb County works with homeless people to increase their employability and build their self-image and confidence13
Aim of the initiative The overall aim of A Book for A Roof was to help the network of ZCL to develop a set of activities that through the medium of ICTs could provide employability and build positive self-imagine and confidence into the homeless living in the city Supporting homeless people to become more engaged and
proactive in the labour market
Overcoming the prejudices and preconceptions about the homeless in libraries Improving the life chances of homeless individuals Building the self-image of one of the cityrsquos most complex socially excluded groups Aiding homeless individuals to secure a future throughout
investing on strong partnership
Financial Model After the initial first year grant in 2011 provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries the project survived thanks to the help of different partners such as other homeless shelters within the city the Voluntary Centers local authorities and stakeholders involved into the project after the positive achievements realized
during the first years of activity One of these stakeholders was the Zagreb City Council that in 2012 granted 10000 Kunas (euro1300) to help evolving and expanding the main goals of this
initiative
Results Creation of a new network of public private and non-profit actors which for the first time actively helped each other to produce
social inclusion for homeless bull Raised awareness on the homelessness issue through
conferences workshops and media coverage bull 22 homeless among the 63 who used ICT trainings during
20112012 found a job bull The library trained 17 volunteers to provide ICT and job-seeking
training to the homeless
Role of ICTs The A Book for a Roof initiative depends mainly on the use of ICT to accomplish its main goals The role of ICTs in promoting social innovation is based on the empowering effect that enabling technologies have for the homelessICT courses include using the Internet to seek for
employment applying for jobs online and enhance homeless
individuals likelihood to (re)-engage with the job market This is coupled with job application training motivation and counseling and takes place in the library where homeless citizens feel more comfortable and safe
Lessons learned bull The initiative can be deemed sustainable because of its limited
costs however as it relies on donations constant disseminationinformation activity is necessary to keep high social awareness around the issue of homelessness
bull The need for resources and financial contributions from other library networks or municipalities can be a barrier to scaling up
bull Other parts of Croatia have started offering similar services
Key Informants Sanja Bunic Project Manager Zagreb City Libraries
Danijel Vuga House of Hope Shelter
88
CROSSROAD
BANK FOR
SOCIAL
SECURITY
(CBSS)
Country Belgium
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group socially insured personscompanies
Target people reached 11000000
Main PSSGI Social care social assistance
Started in 2002
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential
Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background More than two decades ago the Belgian administration carried out an in depth analysis on the functioning of social security delivery processes showing that bull The organization of the business processes of the social security
institutions presented a lack of customer orientation and was not at all harmonized across the different social security institutions
bull There was a lack of standardization in the paper forms used by each institution for collecting information from the customers
bull There was no exchange of information across institutions with
the consequence of a duplication of information bull The socially insured persons and their employers had
themselves to look for their rights throughout the social security system and could not count on the automatic granting of all
89
rights on the basis of one declaration
To address the issues 13 years ago the Belgian social security institute started developing a coordinated information management program generating Crossroad Bank for Social Security This allowed the creation of a permanent and inter-operable social security network among all 3000 social security institutions in Belgium
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Electronic data exchange between citizens and social security institutions
Aim of the initiative The overall objective of Crossroad Bank for Social Security is to provide socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have a minimum level of administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
bull The key objective of the back office was to re-organize all
processes and relationships with each social security institutions and between all 3000 social security institutions
bull With regard to the front office it was re-organized in order to deliver integrated electronic services to the target groups (socially insured persons companies intermediaries etc) in a personalized way via an access method (eg application to
application file transfer portal) chosen by the user
Financial Model The annual cost of CBSS (its network and services as well as its 90 employees) equals to 17 million euro The cost is financed by a withholding on the social security contribution paid by the employers the employee and the self-employed before the
distribution of these contributions to the social security sectors There is no direct charge for the actors in the social security sector
Results bull Significant reduction of administrative burden for workers
thanks to CBSS only 2 (out of 120) declarations have to be
done directly by the individual
bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for CBSS in relation to total cost of delivery
bull Still more important than the efficiency gains are probably the gains in terms of service effectiveness
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the Social Protection system in terms of quality of services as well as the overall systems sustainability
Role of ICTs CBSS is conceived as a brand new ICT architecture with 5 main distinctive characteristics bull Information modelling bull Unique collection and re-use of information bull Management of information
bull Electronic exchange of information bull Protection of information
Lessons learned bull CBSS has already existed for already 25 years which is itself
evidence of sustainability bull CBSS fostered the development of a coherent legal framework bull CBSS has been asked to reuse the same model in the health
sector for pharmacies practitioners hospital care etc This same model was copied applied in other countries as well especially after receiving the many awards given to CBSS such as the UN award in 2006 For example Argentina copied the model
bull Key success factor is the sufficient financial support made
available for the implementation of CBSS
Key Informants Frank Robben General manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security National Office for Social Security Belgium
90
EESTIEE
ESTONIA STATE PORTAL
Country Estonia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General population
Target people reached 401316 users
Main PSSGI Civic engagement
Started in 2003
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 Estonia - one of the smallest nations in Europe - was left with
little public infrastructure and virtually no commercial activity It needed to build high-functioning government services for its
residents and the fledgling private sector To address this need Estoniarsquos government invested proactively in technology to bring government services and citizens online In 2003 the Estonian government launched the first version of its e-government portal (wwweestiee) which offered secure online access to a limited number of government services Since then the Estonian State Portal has developed and expanded significantly and today
Estoniarsquos 13 million residents can use electronic ID cards to log in to the eestiee portal to vote pay taxes claim unemployment benefits register properties and access more than 815 other public and private e-services The portal is a gateway to public information and services it is user-friendly and secure
91
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Agenda 2020 for EstoniaOnline centralized public service
information system to communicate with citizens
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the state portal is to provide entrepreneurs with entry-level information on their obligations to the state and how they must fulfill them as well as access to public services to the general public through a single window The platform also allows the use of various registry services (commercial register registry of economic activities traffic register etc) The portal is constantly updated and improved with the addition of
new sections or services Ongoing initiatives are related to several aspects of citizens and people lives such as bull the concept of e-residency (also for foreigners wishing to use
Estonian e-services) bull the possibility of establishing a company within an hour
bull making bank transfers within seconds bull participating actively in the management of a company
registered in Estonia bull submitting tax return requests
Financial Model EU structural funds
Results bull The number of users of the platform has grown in the last years bull Currently entrepreneurs and citizens of other 11 foreign
countries can also be authenticated and use Estonian e-services bull The platform contributes extensively to the usability and ease of
use of e-services and thereby it helps to bring the government closer to people Furthermore it helps create awareness of the
availability of e-services as visitors discover new options while browsing it
bull The initiative resulted in a more direct support of inclusive labour markets self-employment and job market
Intermediaries better targeting benefits and services and cost-effective social services meeting the needs of citizens
bull Estoniarsquos experience is also increasing transparency and addressing corruption mismanagement conflicts of interest or ethical issues thanks to the amount of information freely available
Role of ICTs The role of ICT is fundamental the system developed by the government in 2003 called X-Road has been designed to be able
to incorporate innovative applications which has made it possible to constantly update it and enrich it with new tools The system consists of a secure data-access platform connecting existing databases (both public and private) irrespective of their format all the data remain separate and a list of FAQ is in fact the only data X-Road itself maintains
Lessons learned bull The sustainability of the initiative is associated not only to the
will of policymakers but also connected to an increased user
satisfaction bull A number of national governmentsmdashincluding those of Belgium
Germany Italy and the Netherlands as well as a handful of Middle Eastern countriesmdashhave launched or are planning to
launch e-ID card programs
Key Informants Taimar Peterkop - General Director of the Estonian Informatics Centre
92
STRATEGY FOR
DIGITAL
WELFARE
(SDW)
Country Denmark
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group General population older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social care
Started in 2013
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Danish welfare system is based on a strong social citizenship and a guarantee for social rights in case citizens encounter social
problems such as unemployment or sickness As in other Scandinavian countries social innovation in Denmark
is more about supplementing (or improving) existing public sector-led initiatives rather than substituting them In this respect the public sector is pivotal to determine the success or failure of social innovation and for this reason since 2008 the Danish government recognized the use of ICTs as an opportunity to reform its welfare system thus giving more emphasis to the digital delivery of welfare services
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Solutions for health education and social services ensuring effective provision of public sector services
93
Aim of the initiative The aim of the strategy is to accelerate the use of ICT and welfare
technology in frontline public service delivery in order to achieve both a more cohesive welfare system and greater integration across public administrations It consists of a series of initiatives such as bull The dissemination of telemedicine throughout Denmark which
aims to provide citizens with high quality and coherent patient
care bull The welfare technology in nursing and care which aims to
embed digital technologies in the rehabilitation pathway bull The new digital paths in case processing whose aim is to
improve the use of the municipal electronic health records across various sectors of the health care system as well as
across municipal services areas bull The preconditions for digital welfare which aims at
guaranteeing better clarity and flexibility in the tendering process
Financial Model Central financial model for the core costs but not for the local implementation costs The granting of economic support was
conditional on providing a solid and thorough project assessment of the results and efficiency gains for the participating institutions Some funding has come from the Danish Public Welfare Technology Foundation
Results bull New possibilities for citizens to get more actively involved in the
welfare services provision bull Empowerment of many elderly people to live more
autonomously and with greater quality bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for the overall welfare
system in relation to total cost of delivery For instance approximately 59 million euro for the municipal home care service of 375 million euro over a 5 year period for digital
rehabilitation bull The use of a unique eID even when mobile devices are used
together with a digital data sharing system will help in reducing control time and its inaccuracyfallacies
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the health care system promoting an approach innovation-oriented
Role of ICTs Through the use of ICTs the Danish healthcare system aims at increasing home care and thus reducing hospital care Telemedicine is also expected to help prevent acute deterioration in the condition of patients and reduce the number of admissions ICTs solutions such as MedCom messages ensure effective and rapid coordination when sharing information such as discharge
letters prescriptions and referrals
Lessons learned bull A well-functioning broadband and an adequate access to it
should be considered as a precondition for deploying digital welfare solutions
bull Since SDW helps the welfare system with better budgeting administrative processes and reduction of financial costs it
ensures a greater sustainability of the system bull Out of the 25 initiatives 7 are planning to become developed at
a national level bull However SDW hasnrsquot had the spillover yet between the different
initiatives
Key Informants Susanne Duus ndash Team leader of the Agency for Digitalization of the Ministry of Finance
94
DIGITALIZATI
ON OF
SERVICES IN
INPS
Country Italy
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General populationolder people
Target people reached 16 Million
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy and one of the most important in Europe with a significant cash flow
(about 800 billionyear) and one of the largest portfolio of employment and welfare services delivery
Since 2012 an important integration process with respect to pension schemes and social security has been undertaken and its result is that all the major Italian social security institutions are currently merged into INPS following a ldquoclient pathwayrdquo approach Through the 752010 (Extension and expansion of telematics services offered by INPS to the citizens) and the 1692010 (Full
digitalisation of the submission process of benefits requests) internal notes INPS started a gradual and complex process of digitalization based on a multi-channel system for delivering services by using IT exclusively
95
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digitalization and automation of the relationship between the
Public Administration and citizens in reducing digital divide and improving the accessibility of services
Aim of the initiative Thus the expected results of the initiative Digitalization of services in INPS were bull Improved efficiency of the internal production processes through
the automation of some phases of the investigation leading to a great savings of resources
bull Improved quality of work of staff currently engaged in data-entry activities
bull Reduced time needed to submit applications with benefits for both citizens and the Institute
bull Increased service quality through the improvement of the data quality due to the digitalization of the information (thanks to quality and formal controls of the information directly when inserted)
bull Decreased costs of services arising from the potential savings on paper communication towards citizens
Financial Model Public service funding Government Regional Local Authorities non-profit public entities etc
Results The digitalisation and automation of the service delivery model
brought about a great innovation of the overall Italian social security systems and facilitated the access to INPS services for every citizen bull Modernisation of the Social protection system allowed not only
efficiency gains but also new and more effective monitoring processes
bull Massive increase in usage of the online services Increase in of
user awareness on the services offered and certainty of their expected benefits and acquired rights
bull More standardize service model with respect to quality level thus addressing regional (NorthSouth) inequality of service
Lessons learned bull The next 3 years will see the implementation of a
comprehensive framework of measures to upgrade the services offered by the Institute
bull The deployment of ICTs in the INPS reform has been considered by many stakeholders a great success and a best practice to be scaled up and replicated Indeed
bull INPS is the leader of an international consortium EU-China social protection reform project and will assist the Chinese
government in modernising its social security system
Role of ICTs Reengineering of the service delivery method possible by the use of ICTs which allowed access to servicesproducts without mediation by local offices ICTs played a crucial role for the success of the initiative since
multi-channel digitization dematerialization and offshoring were achievable only through ICT innovation Today all types of INPS services are available online and payable
through multi-channels
Key Informants Antonio De Luca Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Ettore Fusco Deputy Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Patrizia Maria Ester DAndrea and Francesca Arbitrio team leaders within the Planning and Control Central Directorate of INPS
96
EXPRESS TRAIN
TO EMPLOYMENT
(EXTE)
Welfare to Work
programme
Country Poland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Unemployed
Target people reached 1000
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Welfare to Work (W2W) programme was introduced in Poland as a follow-up to the recent Labour Act reform to deal with a
stagnating labour force participation and a fairly high government deficit (33 in 2014 up from the 28 target of 2015)
The Polish Government was under pressure to introduce innovative welfare provisions which could combine a social system approach traditionally more open to public-private partnership and an innovative use of information management for servicesrsquo organization which could maximize efficiency of the system The W2W programme together with innovative data modelling constitutes the bulk of the Express Train to
Employment (ExTE) pilot project which aimed to improve the engagement and activation of long-term unemployed people in the region of Malopolska Conditional to its success the initiative was then to be scaled up and extended to other regions first and the rest of the country later
97
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Labour Act Reform addressing the problem of long-term
unemployment in the Krakow Region
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the ExTE project was to enhance the mechanisms to help reducing the levels of unemployment rates Under this overarching goal the specific objectives were bull Achieving sustainable employment for at least 35 of the
participants bull Raising the employability of participants in the project bull Disseminating information about services offered to those
unemployed bull Establishing partnerships following the British model (W2W) in
order to identify and develop synergies and effective solutions that could then be scaled-up nationally
Results-based financing was one of the main mechanisms used to compensate operators and stakeholders involved in addition
ExTE saw the inclusion of non-public agents that could offer a variety of knowledge and additional resources
Financial Model The initiative driven by a public- private partnership is implemented with the support of the European Social Fund The service model that was used in this initiative is based on the exploitation of the ability of the private sector to find jobs for the
long-term unemployed
Results The pilot program in the region of Krakow reached significant results both in terms of securing employment for participants and uncovering jobs that had not been publicly advertised bull About 66 of registered users found a job within the first 6
month of participation compared to only 20 of individuals in the control group
bull More than half of the participants (52) had at least one job offer vs only 30 workers in the control group
bull The project was more successful in matching individualsrsquo skills
and competences with jobs bull Updated model of outsourcing employment services through
non-public providers bull A framework of legislative recommendations was produced as
results of the model proposed within the initiative with the aim to be included in the Labour Act
bull The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy introduced a series of amendments in the regulations of the labour market including a new system of profiling the unemployed
Role of ICTs ICTs supported and facilitated existing processes contributing to improve the organisational mechanisms of employment service provisions through bull The creation of a new data model to facilitate matching between
demand and supply of workforce
bull The creation of databases enabling a coordinated planning of activities
Lessons learned bull The government is planning to replicate the initiative in other
regions of the country bull The transferability of the model is demonstrated by the fact that
the W2W initiatives are already implemented in Britain Australia
and the Netherlands bull More needs to be done to ensure that participants stay in
employment for longer for instance by providing additional training and education
Key Informants AMartynuska Director Regional Labour Office in Krakow
98
LITTLE BIRD Country Germany
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public-private partnership
Type of initiative Service
Target group Children mothers families
Target people reached 5000 kindergartens
Main PSSGI Childcare
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Similarly to many EU countries Germany incremented its focus on family-friendly policies to promote gender equality and increase
female participation in the labour market by fostering family friendly policies such as extended maternity and paternity leave
Despite recent progress however Germany still lags behind countries such as France Denmark or Sweden which offer a vast range of childcare initiatives and spend a higher proportion of family benefits on services Indeed childcare provision in Germany is still hindered by three main issues gender inequality in the number of hours of care provided high cost of childcare services and shortage of qualified childcare staff
The Little Bird initiative commissioned by the government and implemented by private partners was born to address the management of available resources regarding childcare services It allows the effective and efficient administration of childcare places for parents providers and public administrations
99
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Child care service delivery- providing parents with support in the
kindergarten selection and location process
Aim of the initiative The main objective of Little Bird was to facilitate equal access to infant education to all children through an interactive process that maps out the entire range of administration functions for the allocation of childcare services Its aim was to provide a safe and convenient solution in the region in which it would operate across the boundaries of municipalities in the search allocation and administration of
childcare services In terms of social innovation Little Bird aims to meet the needs of families government public and private providers by monitoring and allocating in a transparent way the kindergarten places of children In terms of ICT innovation Little Bird is a sustained and organizational ICT- enabled social innovation which improves
organizational and administrative processes of the kindergartenrsquos place allocation Providers can plan and monitor their resources on demand families get an overview of all childcare services (privately and publicly owned) and the available vacancies for child care services
Financial Model Public-Private Partnership co-financed by the Investitionbank
Berlin as well as by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Results The platform provides comprehensive information about
institutions childcare facilities and vacancies and provides the necessary transparency to all parts involved It delivered benefits both for the parents and for the municipalities through bull Optimization of the internal administrative processes bull Highly customized childcare services meeting citizens
requirements
bull Reduced response time to the users between application and final outcome
bull Increased cost-effectiveness bull More productive administrative staff bull Better quality of childcare services provided
Role of ICTs Little Bird is Germanyrsquos first eGovernment solution with an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services Through the use of a web application Little Bird centralizes the challenging and tedious process of searching and applying for available local childcare and decentralizes the childcare allocation process throughout
bull ICTs help optimizing the search registration and allocation process while at the same time generating more transparency and better services
Lessons learned bull Little Bird is an innovative example of a public service opening
up to the private sector primarily through the use of a web application
bull Since the solution is only a software product its model can be easily replicated in other contexts All components in the installation are highly modular therefore highly customizable to any local requirement
bull As far as scalability is concerned Little Bird is currently implemented in 60 German municipalities and will be integrated
in other 25 administrations
Key Informants Bernd Klosterkemper Investment Director Ananda Ventures
100
PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE - PES
Country Netherlands
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed (mainly with disabilities)
Target people reached 285 million visitors in 2013
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Dutch Public Employment Service is part of the UWV
(Employee Insurance Agency) and has as a main objective helping
people to find jobs and re-integrate in society through matching supply of work and demand of labour The modernization of the Public Employment Service (PES) in the Netherlands involved the introduction and the optimization of an online environment
(Intranet) which can be used by all employees and managers of UWV WERKbedrijf without any password requirements This management tool is the ldquoMijn Informatie Portaalrsquo
PES recognizes the pivotal need to optimize performance in the area of employment reintegration temporary income and data management and participation of people in work and society
Policy program
supporting the
Employee Insurance Implementation Institution is the public
institution that implements unemployment insurance benefits sickness benefits employment services to the insured people
101
initiative
Aim of the initiative PESrsquo objectives are set in accordance with the government along
with annual agreements and in cooperation with labour market partners like municipalities employers and temporary employment agencies
The core aim is to facilitate the match between supply and demand in the labour market and to support as high a number of citizens as possible to find employment and reintegrate with society The new 2010 Dutch Government established that the new policy on public employment services was going to
bull Empower citizens and employers in the labour market
bull Reduce face to face interaction to 10 of the clients bull Reform the PES so that 90 of the services will be delivered
using digital means and interaction
Financial Model Publicly funded
Results Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online
interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is steadily increasing
The modernisation process has resulted in increased efficiency and accountability at all levels of the PES and in improved outcomes for jobseekers
bull PES exceeded the target for 2013 in terms of the percentage (90) of people claiming benefits through the online platform reaching 95 of the those who use wwwwerknl for unemployment benefits
bull One of the key points of the modernization brought by PES is the accelerated development of the online werknl service for
job seekers
Role of ICTs The initiative contributed significantly to increasing the efficiency
and reliability of data flows
Data are available on national regional sub-regional (lsquoofficersquo) and
individual employee level Every week new data are added Most data are cumulative The technique being used is lsquoOnline Analytical Processingrsquo (OLAP) This technique makes it possible to generate and construct user defined tables with a web-based tool
bull Thanks to the support of ITC tools and the electronic submission and centralization of data the PESrsquo initiative also played a key role in uncovering 65500 violations of the workforce obligations and upon 97400 cases
Lessons learned bull The automation of the process and the higher digitization of
services have made the delivery system financially and socially sustainable
bull Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is
steadily increasing bull Despite the rise of unemployment and the transition to online
services PES was able to stay within their own budget being their regular operating costs 85 lower than what was budgeted for 2013
Key Informants Ronald Van Bekkum UWV Dutch PES
102
POcircLE EMPLOI
100 WEB
Country France
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 63 million subscribers
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background According to the National Reform Program (2014) the national 2020 Target for the Reduction of Poverty and Social Exclusion is
to ldquoreduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 1900000 (baseline year 2007)rdquo
However the economic downturn has prevented the achievement of this target due to rising unemployment rates (up to 102 in 2016 well above its 2008 value of 74) The French Public Employment Service Pocircle Emploi launched a 100 Web initiative to provide free e-support services to jobseekers across France to boost employability and employment The initiative addresses policy goals in the fields of modernizing
social protection systems and implementing active inclusion strategies The 100 Web initiative is part of the ldquoguidedrdquo tutoring provided by Pocircle Emploi in order to better meet the needs of jobseekers personalized employment support services The
103
tutoring is based on the regular support in the job search by
physical telephone conversations or e-mail for those who need regular support The 100 Web services was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Pocircle emploi Strategic Plan 2020 ldquoEnsemble Innovons pour lrsquoEmploirdquo
Aim of the initiative In 2013 Pocircle emploi launched a targeted 100 Web initiative to provide free e-services for jobseekers considered to be quite close to the labour market but in need of support in France 100 Web is embedded in a long-term public strategy of Pocircle Emploi revolving around four areas bull Reinforcing counseling services in order to improve access to job
vacancies
bull Engaging with employers through advisors who inform them
about the services provided by the public sector and external private providers
bull Improving the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers by enhancing physical facilities transparency in processes digital access and access in rural areas
bull Making Pocircle Emploi closer to local needs and realities working
with the State regions and social sector partners
Financial Model The initiative 100 Web is funded by internal resources of Pocircle emploi Pocircle Emploirsquos annual budget funding for interventions and operation and investments were provided by a government contribution of UNEDIC where appropriate grants from local
authorities public bodies and any other income were authorized by regulations
Results bull The service has improved beneficiariesrsquo digital skills and
increased employment opportunities helping to fight digital exclusion reducing social isolation and supporting social
interaction
bull Positive effect on youth inclusion and in the inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations (in particular those living in rural remote or isolated areas) where the initiative aims at improving the access and the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers
Role of ICTs bull Pocircle Emplois web solution is a disruptive transformative
innovation using ICT in the form of an integrated web-based to deliver education training job searching networking and support services for jobseekers and employers in France
bull The ICTs tools contribute to an open process of co-creation of employment and employability e-services based on the interaction between jobseekers and counselors thus enabling
the effective collaboration with the potential employees employers businesses in order to jointly develop implement and adopt employment and employability e-services
Lessons learned bull The 100 Web service was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions
before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015 The future goal is to develop the initiative in a
more comprehensive trying to broaden the audience to which it is addressed
bull The transferability of the initiative is guaranteed by the fact that the digitization strategy of the measures proposed is not associated to French specificities
Key Informants Anne-Leone Campanella and Jean-Philippe Spector Pocircle emploi
104
BADALONA
SERVEIS
ASSISTENCIALS
ndash BSA
Country Spain
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people people with disabilities
Target people reached 2015000 people
Main PSSGI Integrated health- and social care
Started in 2000
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The ageing population and the sustainability of the Catalonian National Public Health System linked to the Social Service System
are some of the factors that motivated the BSA initiative In 2000 the local government of Badalona in Catalonia decided to
merge health and social care provisions into a single organization to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision This at the time unprecedented endeavour of fully integrating under a single governance structure and into a single organization the provision of health and social care ndash from administrative service delivery and clinical perspective ndash faced very serious challenges but gradually the Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)
accomplished that Today it is operational on the full scale and funded entirely by public money it has about 1200 employees who provide integrated health and social care and manages home care for the inhabitants of the City of Badalona roughly 215 thousand people
105
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Integration of social and healthcare policy
Aim of the initiative The main aim of the initiative was to improving efficiency and quality of care provision while at the same time better addressing unmet needs and overall ensuring continuity of care by eliminating overlapping and duplication in services The integration of health and social care would also bull Be organised around the person and provided by a team of
multi-disciplinary professionals
bull Generate a better coordinated more efficient and simplified governance at the City council
Financial Model BSA is an integrated private care organisation entirely funded by public capital Public Insurance pays for health services while the municipality budget covers social care
Results The initiative contributed to the following improvements
bull better coordination between the different levels of care bull better communication and information flows among BSA
providers and other third parties providers in and around Badalona
bull improvements in the organisational and decision making
processes bull a portfolio of innovative services including telemonitoring and
telecare services bull a higher level of quality of care with greater control and better
results for the population bull more efficient care delivery and the modernisation and
improvement of services bull early discharge from hospitals reduced workload for the staff
reduced care costs for the city council
Role of ICTs Operationally the ICT-solutions made it possible to bull merge the organisations
bull harmonise processes needs assessment protocols and care
provision bull interlink the databases and bull plan track and evaluate the operations of the new entity
providing integrated care bull Nevertheless planning creating launching and operating the
harmonised approach were a gradual process
Lessons learned bull The sustainability and scalability of the initiative can be better
ensured by the structured involvement of third sector providers such as volunteer organisations NGOs patient associations etc Such stakeholders can help in filling the gap arising from the lack of public investments and play a crucial role in providing the right cultural environment
bull The initiative is likely to be scalable and transferable since it has been designed taking this dimension into consideration from the very beginning However they may be funding issues In
addition there are some legacy systems that are unique there but overall others can learn from their experiences
bull In order to pursue feasible and reliable innovation patters it is crucial to identify appropriate partners to cooperate with For
instance European funded projects are a great environment to meet relevant and committed partners
Key Informants Jordi Piera - CIO and RampDampI Officer at BSA
106
ACTION
(ASSISTING
CARERS USING
TELEMATICS
INTERVENTIONS TO
MEET OLDER
PEOPLErsquoS NEEDS)
Country Sweden
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public Private
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 1997
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Swedish welfare for older people involves three levels of government
bull National level policy priorities and directives are discussed and passed
bull Regional level county councils are responsible for providing healthcare
bull Local level municipalities are responsible for providing the bulk of social services and housing needs for older people
Care for the elderly is characterized by the key role played by local authorities which decide on how best to organize the provision Private care services accounted for 24 of all elderly
people getting home help in 2013 however privatization of the health care services in Swedish municipalities has steadily increased In Sweden community care policy is based on the principle of ldquoageing in placerdquo which assumes that the majority of older people
107
would prefer to remain in their own homes ICT services can help
to improve the flexibility of caregiver support as well as the quality of life of older family carers by easing their burden helping them to stay healthier and improving the quality of the care they provide
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
ACTION is a knowledge based initiative supporting elderly people and carers and social Inclusion
Aim of the initiative ACTION was an EU-funded research and development technology project that aimed to help informal carers to meet older peoplersquos needs by using Telematics (ACTION) (1997ndash2000) The overall objective of ACTION is to act as a support system It has four main integrated components bull Multi-media educational programmes based on the needs of
carers and older people
bull ACTION station A personal computer with Internet connection
used to make oral and visual contact with the families of other participants and care practitioners
bull ACTION call centre It is used to maintain regular contact with families to ensure that care for the older person is satisfactorily managed
bull Education and supervision Families take part in an initial
education programme which teaches them how to use the ICT-based service The call centre staff runs small group education sessions which enable participants to get acquainted with each other and subsequently initiate videophone contact
Financial Model This service was initially funded through the Fourth Framework
Programme (1997-2000) and was coordinated by the University of Borarings Since 2000 research development and evaluation have been funded by different grants and the municipalities finance the service by buying it from ACTION
Results The benefits of the initiative have been demonstrated by a
number of studies
bull Both the older people and their family carers said their everyday quality of life was enhanced They became less isolated and more socially included
bull Informal carers were also more independent in their tasks and responsibility they felt more competent and they reported better health and lower stress levels
bull The service had the effect of decreasing healthcare costs while
maintaining a high standard of service and boosting the sustainability of the health and social care systems Cost savings estimated at euro23256 per family
Role of ICTs bull ACTIONrsquos capacity of effectively using ICT-enabled social
innovation has produced significant changes in the carersrsquo lives
by helping to reduce their work-load and their responsibilities for the older person
bull It has increased the monitoring and counselling provided to the
family carers by professional carers bull It has also increased self-management and empowered the
users through specifically designed online courses and by sharing information on caring best practices in real time These
services are readily accessible by family carers from home
Lessons learned bull In 2004 ACTION became a mainstream service in the Borarings
municipality in 2012 25 other municipalities tested the system but did not implement it because they lacked resources
bull The ACTION project has a high level of standardization and can
be easily implemented by other Member States
Key Informants Lennart Magnusson - Director of Swedish family care center
108
SOUTH KARELIA
DISTRICT OF
SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES
(EKSOTE)
Country Finland
Strength of Evidence Weak
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Older people (aged 75+) carers
Target people reached 31000
Main PSSGI Integrated Health and Social Care
Started in 2010
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Before the EKSOTE programme started operating in 1996 hospitals in the region were significantly overloaded This had a
negative impact on the quality of the service provided particularly for disabled and elderly people whose access to follow-up care
was badly managed The previous governance system of social care provision was plagued with recurrent delays and coordination issues The Finnish health care system is structured around municipality-based units which have assumed responsibility for primary care and region-based units which absolve other functions related to health care organization and coordination with the national level
In 1997 the AQP (AssessQualify-Place ) operations units centralized patient follow-up care in order to speed up the process of allocating this type of care to patients who had been discharged from the central hospital In 2010 EKSOTE started to manage all the social and health care services in nine municipalities With the
109
implementation of EKSOTE the traditional division between
primary and secondary care structures disappeared (at least in the EKSOTE municipalities) As compared to traditional ways of delivering social security services EKSOTE places a higher priority on assessing service needs and providing advisory and instructional services in alternative forms For example it has put in place a mobile and
internet health service network (an ICT-enabled social innovation)
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Finnish country wide ICT policy also related to the European Digital Agenda
Aim of the initiative The objective of EKSOTE was to improve the coordination among social service providers and improve the quality of service It also aimed to provide equal access to social and health care
services to all citizens in the region it operates in across the
boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care process
Financial Model Public funding By spending on rehabilitation and preventive action South Karelia has been able to achieve better cost effectiveness
Results The improved integration and coordination of social services provision has brought the following benefits bull improvement of access and take-up bull simplification of administration bull better targeted and personalised services
bull cost-effectiveness of social services which meet the needs of citizens
Role of ICTs EKSOTE implemented a process of digitalization in the South Karelia Region starting from 2010 bull Thanks to its innovative use of a centralized placement service
(AssessQualify-Place or AQP) it has contributed to better
targeted more appropriate and personalized quality service bull In addition to AQP another fundamental feature of EKSOTE is
the creation of the Business Intelligence Model (BIM)Data for BIM are collected from several sources and can be used to predict demand service planning user analysis and the calculation of indicators
bull The EKSOTE BIM plays an important role for the management
system in social and health care system as it allows the common and regional indicators to combine the user groups and measure the usage of services and especially to report and analyse the data classified in a new way
Lessons learned bull The initiative has been considered a best practice and the
government the piloting system takes advantage of components that are already in use in most social and healthcare sector organizations and does not require major hardware or software investments or any changes to the overall
system architecture bull EKSOTE has been promoted by the Finnish government which is
trying to scale out the initiative to a nationwide level In this
respect many municipalities are visiting EKSOTE office so as to study the initiative and replicate it within their territories
bull The methodology underpinning the initiative shows a high degree of transferability of the experience to other European contexts
Key Informants Merja Tepponen - Chief Development Officer of Health and Social care Department
110
PATHWAY
ACCOMMODATION
AND SUPPORT
SYSTEM (PASS)
Country Ireland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Homeless
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social housing
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is a complex social problem and there is no simple solution The primary need of homeless people is appropriate long‐term housing In conjunction with this need for housing
many homeless people also have physical health mental health
addiction andor other support needs that must be addressed in order for them to be able to stop being homeless In Ireland the health services and local authorities share responsibility for the provision of shelter support and housing for homeless people The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 addresses the needs of homeless citizens in Ireland and outlines a statutory
obligation for local authorities to have an action plan and to set up a Homelessness Consultative Forum and a Statutory Management Group The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has overall responsibility for the planning development and coordination of
111
homeless and related housing and support services in the Dublin
region and is responsible for the statutory funding across the spectrum of services that comprise the Pathway to Home model of service
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
National Homeless Strategy The Way Home
Aim of the initiative PASS is a client management system for homeless service users
that also aims to provide to the public authorities and other stakeholders involved statistical information on homelessness and use of related services in order to bull monitor the effectiveness of the strategy bull identify emerging trends related to homelessness bull monitor and improve service delivery helping the agencies to
work together to provide a continuum of care and integrate
service delivery
bull plan the development of future services
Financial Model The PASS System is financed by DRHE resources from two main sources i) Section 10 funding from Central Government (DECLG) to local authorities under the 1998 Housing Act combined with a
contribution (at 10) of funding directly from each local authorityrsquos revenue streams and ii) the Health Service Executive - a central funder of homeless services in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programmes
Results bull PASS has allowed DRHE to increase efficiency of bed occupancy
to a rate of 99 of capacity by sharing information between all the agencies that support homeless people
bull DRHErsquos initial target to create 700 tenancies in 2014 was exceeded and 792 tenancies were created
bull According to the Homeless Authority of Dublin the PASS
platform can effectively support the decision-making process on
capital investment in housing provision bull Access to real-time data has allowed authorities and other
stakeholders providing services to the homeless to deliver higher quality services to respond effectively to the target usersrsquo needs and to optimize financial and human resources
Role of ICTs ICT-enabled social innovation has produced substantial
improvements in the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the social service delivery models It has played a dual role bull As an enabling factor as it facilitates a better cost-effective
partnership between all public and private stakeholders involved in the process of delivering social housing services
bull As a ldquogame-changer access to real-time data helps all actors
involved (public and private) to understand analyse and respond in a qualitatively better and more cost-efficient way
Lessons learned bull In terms of scalability PASS will be developed to become a new
lsquocloudrsquo technological computing system bull Further development of a specific data strategy is needed in
order to ensure the success of this initiative at national level
Key Informants Daacuteithiacute Downey Deputy Director Head of Policy and Service Delivery Dublin Region Homeless Executive Ireland
112
TELECARE
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME IN
SCOTLAND (TDP)
Country United Kingdom (Scotland)
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Regional (National)
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group Older people
Target people reached 45000
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 2006 (ended in 2011)
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background In Scotland a growing incidence of disability and long-term illness brought about the requirement for health and care service
support Between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 the Scottish Governmentrsquos expenditure on the people aged 60 and over
increased by 5 per annum in real terms to pound51 billion a year The Scottish government established that care of frailer older people with continuing health problems should focus on better support for them at home To this end it focused strongly on the development of telecare and telehealth The Scottish Telecare Development Programme (TDP) was a funding initiative run by Scottish Government between 2006 and
2011 to drive the adoption of telecare by local health and social care services The strategy was to stimulate Scottish local partnerships to redesign existing home care services with a two-step funding programme The main actors comprised the housing and social care departments of the Local Authorities and the local
113
NHS Boards that represent the health care professionals in charge
of community-based health service provisioning Together they promoted and designed the telecare initiative to be funded by the National Government and helped drive its implementation in the local contexts The Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT) was established to support and guide the development of telehealth and telecare throughout Scotland
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) for Scotland was launched in August 2006 as a policy initiative
Aim of the initiative The objective of the TDP funding initiative was to stimulate the 32 Scottish local health and care partnerships (made up of local Health Boards and Local Authorities) to develop and mainstream telecare services Its main objectives could be summarized as follows
bull Increase the productivity of social protection systems and of
healthcare delivery including formal and informal care bull Increase the sustainability of the social protection system
particularly by reducing the number of avoidable admissions to care homes
bull Increase the quality of services for both carers and users bull Support system integration
bull Reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty and disability among older people through disease prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
bull Facilitate hospital discharge bull Increase self-care and independent living at home
Financial Model Two-step funding programme in 2006-2008 awarded to the initiatives that addressed the specification of the bid in 2008-2011 to the initiatives which were satisfactorily developed Development support was also offered through the Scottish Governmentrsquos Joint Improvement Team (JIT) to those
partnerships that were not progressing as planned
Results The TDPrsquos effects were comprehensively assessed throughout the programme bull Informal carers felt that telecare had reduced pressurestress
and facilitated greater independence for users bull 60 of users reported improvements to their quality of life bull Patients were discharged faster from hospital while the number
of emergency admissions was reduced
bull The single biggest saving was coming from the avoided care home admissions estimated cost savings for the sector of approximately euro 954 million at 2011 prices
bull Telecare could efficiently address the special caring needs of people living with dementia
Role of ICTs bull ICTs played an important role in the deployment and
mainstreaming of the services across Scottish territory interoperability problems constituted important barriers to the
development and sustainability of the services
Lessons learned bull In the more successful TDP initiatives now mainstreamed in
their local communities Community Health Partnerships played
a fundamental role in ensuring cooperation bull Considering the high initial investment costs the replication and
expansion of the initiative to similar contexts is regarded as a key factor for its sustainability
Key Informants Donna Henderson European Engagement Manager Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and Telecare NHS 24 Doreen Watson Telecare Consultant Joint Improvement Team Scottish Government
114
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HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS
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bull one copy
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bull more than one copy or postersmaps
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by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) () () The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
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3
Executive summary
This report provides an overview of the results of the analysis of selected case studies on
how ICT-enabled social innovations promoting social investment can contribute to the
modernisation of social protection systems in the European Union The case studies have
been identified and analysed as part of the research project entitled ldquoICT-Enabled Social
Innovation to support the implementation of the Social Investment Packagerdquo (IESI)
conducted by the European Commissionacutes Joint Research Centre in collaboration with the
Directorate General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
Objectives
This report aims to explore (i) the relationship between different typologies of ICT-enabled
social innovations that have been implemented and the broader social protection system in
which they are embedded in and (ii) the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives which promote social investment to support the modernisation of social
protection systems in EU Member States
Building on the results of three rounds of systematic literature reviews made by Misuraca
et al 2017 the main contribution of this explorative attempt is to provide qualitative
evidence that goes beyond the already well-studied relationship between ICTs and generic
public service modernisation reforms as it specifically investigate and shed lights on social
protection systems which are under researched when it comes to the contribution made by
ICT-enabled social innovation Therefore the aim of the report is to provide empirical
support to help member States in their reform endeavours
Through the cross analysis of fourteen in-depth case studies drawn from different Member
States and which represents different welfare models the report identifies the potential
implications for policies at local national and EU level Together the case studies cover all
the various Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) although most of the
initiatives analysed involved more than one social service according to the peculiarities of
the services offered and their levels of integration The table below presents the list of the
selected case studies and related area of service provided
Initiative Country Social services addressed
A Book for a Roof Croatia Education and training - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Badalona Assistance Services Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Crossroads Bank for Social Security Belgium Social care - Social assistance ndash Employment - Civic engagement
Digitalisation of social security services
Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusionparticipation - Civic engagement
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
Poland Employment - Employability
Little bird Germany Childcare
National Telecare Development Programme
Scotland UK Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Online Point of Single Contact Estonia
Civic engagement Social care Social assistance ndash Childcare - Education and training - Social housing ndash Employment - Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web France Employment - Employability
Reform of employee insurance implementation institution
Netherlands Employment ndash Employability - Social assistance
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Strategy for Digital Welfare Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
4
Methodology
Once completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds 50 promising cases out of the 300 initiatives identified by the IESI
mapping exercise have been selected The criteria used for the selection included
geographical coverage representativeness of the different welfare systems coverage of all
the relevant thematic areas (derived from a revisited typology of PSSGI)
representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders (public private and third
sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis Through the first step each initiative was analysed
according to two criteria (relevance and complexity) in order to capture its potential
systemic impact This allowed giving a numerical score to different sub-parameters for
each of the 50 initiatives Through the second step of the selection process the IESI
analytical framework has been applied While the ICT-enabled innovation potential was
used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo
cluster (incremental and sustained innovation) and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster
(disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of governance of service integration was
used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with the highest level of governance)
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis The figure below
shows the geographic coverage of the analysed case studies
In each case we analysed the main social innovation elements the potential for ICT-
enabled innovation the levels of governance and type of service integration the impact
evaluation carried out and the degree of sustainability and possible transferability
5
Results
The case studies provide useful insights into the factors that have been critical to an
initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social innovation They also show how
these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of the Social Investment
Package
With regard to the first SIPs objective ie modernizing social protection systems
spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable protection
many initiatives by building a collaborative innovation network between public agencies or
departments reshaped the governance model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach In particular the exploitation of ICTs generated new
public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the
traceability of information flows and the fight against fraud The contribution ICTs make to
the modernization of social protection system lies mainly in their ability to minimize the
administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
With regard to the second SIPs objective ie implementing active inclusion strategies
investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve their integration into society and the
labour market the combination of employment information management and ICT training
allows the production process of services to be redesigned This can improve integration
opportunities within society and also help to include disadvantaged people into the labour
market The integration of services enabled by the use of ICTs empowers people
especially the homeless older people and the more fragile by improving their skills and
ability to live independently at home or to find jobs It also helps to improve the quality of
life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their caregivers Moreover equal access to
social and health care services for all citizens across the boundaries of municipalities
directly increases the inclusiveness of social protection systems
With regard to the third SIPs objective ie investing in individuals throughout their lives
ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments
during their lives it has been recognised that skills and active inclusion strategies offering
psycho-social support can boost beneficiariesrsquo motivation and respond to their needs at
critical moments in their lives Moreover ICTs can often contribute to changing service
delivery models making them more beneficiary-centric They can also reduce the risk of
unsuitable or undue benefits by formulating innovative responses to peoples changing
needs They can also personalize services which is especially important in the field of
employment support services Here they can improve the match between job demand and
offer and also aggregate job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations
The case study analysis allowed us to spot some major social issues in which ICTs can
offer ndash and indeed are already offering ndashimportant support without structural or wider
reforms The analysis showed that ICTs can help to modernise social protection systems
mainly by contributing to the sustainability of welfare systems
Some of the cases analysed demonstrate that ICTs contribute to solving the structural
imbalance between emerging and growing social needs and the decreasing or limited
financial resources available In particular the use of ICTs can help social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected by
different health and social conditions and require multiple services technological
advances have made it possible to link information across programme areas and to
identify individuals with complex needs and hence target them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used to
having access to information and services through web and mobile devices new
digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with service
providers across a range of industries including the social services and more generally
the welfare area
6
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour market
participation of all members of the working-age population a new wave of welfare-to-
work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments trying to reduce
demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from finding sustained
employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and demand
Handle budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to widespread public
sector austerity measures in many developed economies these pressures mean that
service integration and optimisation are becoming increasingly attractive options for
governments looking for higher cost effectiveness in service delivery allocating higher
percentages of resources and incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated to
the most effective and efficient initiatives they must be scaled up or transferred to
other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics functionalities allow to
leverage the evidence collected and better allocate resources on the basis of the
specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information regarding the
policy interventions undertaken and its results this data can then be shared in order
to inform policy makers and support the decision making process to develop or adapt
future policies
Policy and research implications
The results of the cross-analysis of case studies allowed us to define a set of policy
implications that can help policy makers to drive social change
In order to reap all the benefits of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives some
contextual and complementary policy initiatives are needed This mainly points to the need
of addressing required administrative changes and financial support initiatives especially
in the perspective of a more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social
innovation
Most of the case studies confirmed that ICTs are a crucial but not sufficient condition for
ICT-enabled social innovation to fully realise its potential Other enabling factors must
come into play for instance
Workforce development the empowerment of workers and job seekers requires
investment in their skills and competences They must also be given new and flexible
ways of participating in the labour market Employers and public institutions must
invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation working groups They must also
envisage joint training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and
fill any skills gaps that may arise This requires the creation of new roles and a review
of existing jobs to adapt them to the changing environment and the evolving needs of
the workforce
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third sector
providers should be promoted and the development of innovative initiatives
facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for the integration and
scaling up of these practices into actual processes
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms seem to be efficient in
promoting coordinated interventions to address common and shared social problems
in an outcome-oriented approach Other financial schemes such as acutepersonal
budgetsacute produce effective incentives because they enable users and case managers
to freely purchase the desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they
foster the creation of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are
closer to the needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms could encourage
integration and collaboration among different service providers
7
Finally the introduction of ICTs should be combined with the re-engineering of
organizational structures and a cultural shift towards embracing social innovation In
particular these two further directions are related to the simplification of services
procedures through an open-government approach and the use of the European Structural
and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
With regard to the simplification of procedures the increase in information and knowledge
exchange and in openness and transparency provide new opportunities for public
administrations to offer user-friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs
and the administrative burden An open government approach can encourage this
transformation by opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration in the
design production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and decisions
enhance transparency accountability and trust in government
With respect to the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to further
finance ICT-based developments in the social sector it should be considered that National
and regional authorities are in charge of defining their strategies and operational
programmes for enhancing territorial development and social cohesion which form the
basis for delivering EU structural funds Local institutions can play a proactive role in both
the allocation of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-
financing requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another strengthening knowledge
exchange across the EU
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect future research directions
Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes has also
been recognised as a strategy in support of social policy innovation initiatives and it could
be interesting to explore this further since it could offer the policy maker new
organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business models effectively
contribute to social change
Therefore it is important to answer the question whether social policy innovation
strategies especially ICT-enabled ones can be embedded in policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other terms it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular can be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox At the same
time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies will not be the
panacea for all welfare state challenges rather one of the social protection layers of future
welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the modernisation of welfare
systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as supplementary
minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits schemes
Nevertheless and according to the results of this research social policy innovation
initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an important role represent an important
means of modernising social protection systems ICTs need to be used as part of a broader
strategy designed and led by the public sector which becomes an even more important
actor and will also take on the task of coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
8
1 Introduction
11 Policy background
The 2008 crisis and the growing inequalities which followed have highlighted the
limitations of the current European social and welfare model Policymakers have tackled
the economic and societal challenges by redistributing resources through the taxation
system and granting special benefits to those in need however at the same time they
acknowledge that the European Social Model needs to be modernised
Many experts have proposed new ideas and new solutions for the challenges faced by
European welfare systems This general rethinking of prevailing socio-economic views and
perspectives has led to the emergence of two interrelated quasi-concepts social
investment and social innovation In spite of their theoretical and conceptual limitations
these terms have proven to be powerful tools for shaping policy outcomes
This trend was enhanced at EU level by the adoption of the Social Investment Package
(SIP)1 in 2013 The EC Communication Towards Social Investment for Growth and
Cohesion2 calls for social services to be designed fairly in a thoughtful and personalized
manner so as to provide equal access to those entitled In addition the SIP
Communication urges EU Member States to prioritise social investment and the
modernisation of their welfare systems in order to address unemployment poverty and
social exclusion brought about by the economic crisis and also the challenges to the
sustainability of social welfare systems posed by an ageing population
The SIP focuses on social innovation (Jenson 2015) as a means of providing ways of
improving the efficiency and adequacy of social policies and their effectiveness in
addressing societal challenges It also facilitates life-long investment in human capital The
European Commission has already emphasized the importance of embedding social
innovation in policy-making processes and connecting innovation policy to priorities It has
paid particular attention to the appropriate use of EU funds to support the implementation
of successful policy innovation (EU 2013 Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) It is
recognised that the potential of social innovation is further increased by the growing range
of available innovative solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) However it seems that ICT-based solutions only materialize rapidly on the ground
when specific efforts are made to encourage their use in social innovation
12 The IESI Research
In this context the European Commissions DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
(DG EMPL) and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre joined forces to conduct
a research project entitled ICT-enabled Social Innovation in support to the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
The key goal of IESI is to support the implementation of the EU Social Investment Package
(SIP) by investigating how ICT-enabled Social Innovation can support social investment
policies3
1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council the European and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion See httpeceuropaeusocialmainjspcatId=1044
2 EC COM (2013) 83 httpeur-lexeuropaeulegal-contentENTXTuri=CELEX52013DC0083 3 For a more detailed presentation of the IESI conceptual and analytical framework including the definition of
ICT-enabled social innovation developed as part of this research and the concept of Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) see the previous Deliverables available of the IESI Projects website httpseceuropaeujrceniesi and the JRC Science and Policy Report (Misuraca et al 2015)
9
More specifically the IESI research project aims to
i provide a better understanding of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled
social innovation to implement the actions suggested in the SIP
ii contribute to building the evidence base needed for social policy innovation by
gathering knowledge analysing initiatives and raising awareness about successful
experiences implemented in EU Member States
iii develop a methodological framework of analysis of the impacts - from micro to
macro level - generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which promote
social investment
The research results are expected to enhance the understanding of how ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives contribute to better targeting benefits and services improving the
management provision and coordination of services designing high-quality and cost-
effective services which meet the needs of citizens and supporting access to and take-up
of social services for instance by enabling simpler procedures providing better and more
targeted information or allowing the development of one-stop-shops
With regard to the scope of the research the starting point of the analysis is to identify
the Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) ie the services that respond to
vital human needs fight discrimination and create equal opportunities4 More specifically
the focus of the research is the analysis of policy-relevant initiatives related to integrated
approaches to social services provision and hence the study of how they contribute to
achieving some of the priorities defined in the SIP objectives
The IESI three-year research project was designed according to three interrelated Work
Packages namely Systematic mapping (WP1) Methodological framework of analysis of
impacts (WP2) and Thematic analysiscase studies (WP3) as illustrated in Figure 1 below
Figure 1 Research Design
Source own elaboration
4 According to Misuraca et al 2015 PSSGI have been classified through the following typologies (1)
Childcare (2) Education and training (3) Social assistance (4) Social care (5) Social housing (6) Employability (7) Employment (8) Social inclusionparticipation (9) Civic engagement (10) Active and healthy ageing and long-term care
10
Considerable effort was dedicated during the research especially in the IESI Thematic
analysiscase studiesrdquo Work Package (WP3) to studying the role and impact that ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social investment may have on the
modernisation of the following aspects of the Member Statesrsquo social protection systems
(1) Social SecurityEmployment (2) Social Inclusion and Participation (3) Active and
Healthy Ageing
Data were collected on a number of relevant examples of initiatives (cases) across the EU
The aim was to analyse the services provided in each case by various stakeholders and
intermediaries from the public private and third sectors with a specific focus on their role
and relationships At the same time the research aimed to better understand the nature
and impact of ICT-enabled social innovation in support of social investment its drivers
barriers and determinants and the various diffusion paths that characterise each of the
above mentioned thematic areas The case study approach allowed us to gather important
insights from both the cross-case analysis and the thematic analysis
13 This report
This report presents the results of the analysis of relevant ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives identified across the EU It explores the relationships between different
typologies of implemented ICT-enabled social innovation and the social protection system
in which they are embedded It also assesses the potential impact of ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives promoting social investment on the modernisation of social protection
systems in EU Member States More precisely the analysis seeks to determine what the
main drivers and barriers for the modernisation of social protection systems are and what
specific impacts are generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social
investment
Thus the main research questions addressed by the case studies are
What role do ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives play in supporting social
investment policies in modernising social services
What enabling factors in social investments and social innovations contribute to
enhancing social protection policies especially in times of crisis And what are the
barriers
The analyses presented in this report support the evidence on the contribution of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives which promote social investment for the modernisation
of social protection systems to the implementation of the EU SIP Therefore the cases
studied here also provide a snapshot of the state of deployment of social investment
policies which aim to facilitate the implementation of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives to encourage the modernisation of social services and welfare system in Europe
This report is structured as follows
Chapter 1 introduces the background and rationale of the project the overall
objectives and outlines the structure of this report
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the general methodology followed for the
literature review selection of the case studies and cross-case analysis
Chapter 3 presents key findings from the review of the state of the art which
focuses on ICT-enabled social innovation in EU social protection systems and social
services delivery models
Chapter 4 presents an overview of the case studies structured along the main
relevant dimensions of the research
Chapter 5 presents the cross-cases analysis illustrated with examples from the
activities key results and challenges of the initiatives
Chapter 6 presents the key findings the conclusions of the study future research
challenges and policy implications
11
2 Methodology
21 Research design
The key goal of the analysis of case studies which formed part of the IESI research design
was to provide evidence of successful andor promising ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives implemented around Europe to support the modernisation of social protection
systems This enabled us to assess the extent of the contribution of ICT-enabled social
innovation to the implementation of the SIP
More specifically the case studies aimed to
Provide evidence of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled social innovation
to implement the actions suggested in the SIP in order to modernize their social
protection systems
Contribute to a better understanding of the impact of social policies by studying
promising initiatives The initiatives selected aimed to simplify processes and better
target benefits and services improve management design high-quality and cost-
effective services and identify effective channels of public value distribution
In order to achieve the above objectives five steps were undertaken
i An inception analysis was carried out in order to define the methodology that would
be used to conduct the research activities (ie a review of the state of the art and
the selection of the case studies for in-depth analysis) The inception analysis also
reviewed the data gathering tools to be used
ii A comprehensive review of the state of the art in modernising social protection
systems was completed The review comprised relevant literature policies
theoretical approaches and the level of service provision amongst the different EU
countries It also collected and documented promising initiatives across the EU
Specific emphasis was given to the role played by ICTs as well as its barriers and
enablers
iii We tried to understand the role played by ICTs in these social innovations and the
provision of these services as both enablers and game-changers (Misuraca et al
2015) This phase aimed to identify relevant examples of the application of ICT-
enabled social innovation to support the modernisation of social protection systems
in the EU Basic data and documentation were gathered on 50 potential examples
representing the 5 types of welfare systems and illustrating the 10 PSSGI areas
included in the SIP
For each of the 50 examples identified a short case description providing the
context objectives activities main results and impacts was included In addition a
typology of ICT-enabled social innovation services and impacts was developed
Based on the knowledge gathered we established some criteria for the selection of
case studies
iv Based on the results of the previous steps the most promising cases among the 50
were selected for further in-depth analysis
v We analysed both the data obtained through desk research and the qualitative data
collected through in-depth interviews with representatives of the organizations
involved in the selected cases including beneficiaries and other relevant
stakeholders In each case study we investigated how ICT-enabled social
innovation is being or has been implemented We looked at what results have
been achieved in terms of SIP objectives return on investments and impact areas
In addition a cross-case analysis was also carried out which included discussion of
the potential implications for policies at local national and EU level and with
specific regard to the SIP objectives
12
22 Literature review
A dedicated literature review was deemed necessary to help us select initiatives that would
provide relevant insights into achieving the IESI objectives described earlier ie
a) explore the relationships between different typologies of implemented ICT-enabled
social innovation and the social protection system in which they are embedded and
b) assess the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which
promote social investment on the modernisation of social protection systems in EU
Member States
The literature review investigated the state of the art in the modernisation of social
protection systems in Europe in order to identify the main elements that characterise the
landscape in which ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives had been implemented This
included a review of relevant scientific literature policies theoretical approaches and the
level and types of service provision in EU countries and of grey literature such as policy
documents and reports by practitioners administrative sources and official statistical
reports
We considered the main features of the socio-economic context such as the relationships
between social innovation and social protection systems the relationships between social
protection systems and welfare systems and the role of services integration and social
protection system
23 Case studies
231 Selection of initiatives
Having completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds we then selected 50 promising cases These were chosen from the
initiatives identified by the IESI mapping exercise and additional ad-hoc searches
The criteria used for the selection included geographical coverage representativeness of
the different welfare systems coverage of all the relevant thematic areas (derived from a
revisited typology of PSSGI) representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders
(public private and third sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis
Step 1 Multi-criteria analysis
Taking the data collected on the 50 initiatives as input we used a ranking model based on
the multi-criteria methodology shown in Figure 2 below Each initiative was in fact
analysed according to the two criteria of relevance and complexity in order to capture its
potential systemic impact This allowed us to give a numerical score to different sub-
parameters for each of the 50 initiatives identified
Step 2 Applying the IESI analytical framework
As shown in Figure 3 the IESI analytical framework from the IESI Knowledge Map
(Misuraca et al 2015) was then used to further assess the initiatives While the ICT-
enabled innovation potential was used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives
belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo cluster (incremental and sustained innovation)
and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster (disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of
governance of service integration was used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with
the highest level of governance)
13
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology
Source own elaboration
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework
Source own elaboration
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis
232 Analysis of case studies
The analysis of the selected case studies followed three main methodological steps (i)
desk research (ii) interviews and (iii) case development and analysis The desk research
focused on technical documents publications and reports produced by policy makers
researchers and academics and also surveys undertaken by consultants and international
experts The aim was to obtain specific and reliable data about the context and the impact
of each of the initiatives under analysis and to identify and select relevant key informants
RELEVANCE
COMPLEXITY
Dimension of initiative
Impact strength of initiative
Level of reference of the
initiative
Level of effectiveness
Degree of integration
across multiple social services
Level of stakeholders partecipation
Level of integration of the
initiative
LocalRegional - 1National - 2
Transnational - 3
Productivity improvement- 1Operational change - 2New delivery system - 3
Seldom project references- 1Qualitative project references - 2
Good project references - 3
1 ndash 2 SIP Objectives impacted- 13 ndash 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 2gt 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 3
1 ndash 2 Social Services impacted- 13 ndash 4 Social Services impacted - 2gt 4 Social Services impacted - 3
Public or Private or Third Sector- 1
PublicPrivate or PublicThird Sector or PrivateThird Sector - 2
PublicPrivateThird Sector - 3
Isolated- 1Intra governmental or Inter-governmental 2
Inter-sectorial or Pervasive - 3
SCORE ATTRIBUTIONRULES IN THE
PROCESS MODEL
14
Each interview was based on the gaps identified by the desk research and tailored to the
type of stakeholder to be addressed in order to improve the quality of the data already
gathered Besides providing input for the case reports and the case study analysis this
exercise also contributed to improving the IESI Knowledge Map and the related data
validation process (see IESI analytical framework)5
The subsequent cross-case analysis built on two different and relevant components On
the one hand particular attention was paid to descriptive components such as the type of
initiatives area of social services covered location scale of implementation operational
funding target users stakeholders involved and partnerships built around the initiatives
On the other hand a significant effort was dedicated to identifying the factors that
generate impact social innovation elements ICT-enabled innovation potential levels of
governance integration and type of service integration The analytical framework adopted
for the cross-case analysis takes into consideration the coverage of different elements
which are important for clustering the initiatives as illustrated in Figure 4
Figure 4 Analytical framework
Source own elaboration
The methodology followed to select the cases took into account the level of governance of
service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential they presented The cross-
case analysis focused on the remaining two dimensions of the IESI analytical framework
ie types of service integration6 and elements of social innovation7 (see Misuraca et al
2015)
5 Clearly the sample of initiatives gathered at this stage of the research was not statistically representative of
the universe of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives for the modernisation of social protection systems not only because of its limited size but also because the overall population is unknown Nevertheless it represents a substantial effort towards providing a better and more structured understanding of the field the
critical success factors of policies in that field common patterns and emerging trends 6 According to Misuraca et al 2015 building on Kodner 2009 the integration might be at funding
administrative organisational or delivery system levels More precisely funding integration might be due to the use of funds coming from different sources (eg different public bodies PPPs etc) Administrative integration may be achieved through consolidationdecentralisation of responsibilities andor functions inter-sectorial planning needs assessment or joint purchasing Organisational integration might happen through co-location of services interagency planning contracting strategic alliances or networks building Finally delivery system integration can be achieved through case management informative cooperation multi-disciplinary teamwork etc
7 According to Misuraca et al (2015) building on Bekkers et al (2013) social innovation elements may be described conceptually as (i) needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production (ii) an open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks (iii) a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders and (iv) public value allocation andor re-allocation The IESI research considers and describes where ICTs play a crucial role in the generation of public value (Public value creation) andor in the public value distribution (Public sector social services provision)
15
3 Review of the state of the art
31 Social protection systems in Europe
311 Social investment trends
Since the 80s expenditure has increased mainly on old age insurance and pensions
(Nikolai 2012) However expenditure on education and training family and child benefits
health prevention or active labour market policy has not changed significantly despite
efforts by the European Commission and the advantages associated with the adoption of a
social investment perspective As a result the portfolio of services offered in EU Member
States is inadequate to address current societal challenges In fact the financial gap
between what is needed to address societal challenges and actual social investment in
public services delivery at existing employment levels was estimated by Accenture and
Oxford Economics to reach around $1600 billion in 2025 across 10 countries with a gap of
30 billion for Italy (13 of GDP in 2025) and 170 billion for the UK (54 of GDP)
(2013)
The ESPN Thematic Reports on Social Investment per country 20158 provides insights into
social investment and results at national level For instance Nordic and Anglo-Saxon
countries especially Finland and Ireland present the clearest cases of one-stop-shop
initiatives even if these are still under development The integration of social services
provision in these welfare models is at its most advanced - especially in Sweden and in the
United Kingdom Of the continental countries the Netherlands is the most advanced in
that field together with France Belgium and Luxembourg However the shortage of
resources following the economic crisis is expected to negatively affect the performance of
social service delivery processes in these countries in the mid- to long-term In contrast
harmonization is lacking in some continental countries like Austria and Germany and also
in Denmark (a Nordic Country)
This lack of coordination also exists in most Mediterranean and Central-Eastern European
countries In addition the situation in the latter is expected to worsen because of the
shortage of economic and financial resources straining public administrations and in turn
their capability to afford quality social services delivery Underperforming social services
are common in Mediterranean countries (eg Cyprus Malta and Greece) and in the
Central-Eastern European countries (eg Poland Romania Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic) Croatia and Slovenia are exceptions and represent positive examples of
reforming countries in Central-Eastern Europe Indeed they are in the process of
developing one-stop-shop models to deliver social services to their citizens
In this context the increasing demand for social protection has hindered full
implementation of social investment policies even in those countries where social reforms
started earlier and were implemented through structural changes For instance Sweden
and Denmark have shifted to less costly forms of labour market activation where
counselling replaces training and unemployment benefits have been reduced drastically
According to De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) who examined EU Member States employment
policies in the 1990s and 2000s there have not really been clear and massive shifts from
passive to active expenditure on labour market policies in the EU-15 but expenditure for
both is depleting while participants in active labour market programmes are increasing in
order to be able to receive benefits
Even more alarming is the decrease in public expenditure on families and children
considering the positive correlation between higher rates of women in employment and
poverty reduction and between the availability of early child education and care services
and future career development prospects for children
As for education findings from the OECD Social Report (2014) show that consolidation
efforts halted the long-term trend of rising public spending on education it declined
8 Some of the more relevant findings are analytically reported in the Table 1
16
relative to GDP between 2009 and 2010 in more than half of OECD countries with cuts
especially sharp in Hungary Iceland Italy Sweden Switzerland and the United States
The social investment perspective emerged as a response to changing conditions across
Europe including de-industrialization and increased international competition an ageing
population changing gender roles in labour markets and households and the introduction
and diffusion of new technologies All these factors ndashparticularly the demographic trends -
call for more and better welfare services However the economic and financial crisis has
led EU Member States to contain or even reduce social spending and look for efficiency
gains in social services Thus they hope to do more with fewer resources
312 Welfare systems reforms in Europe
According to recent publications (eg Eriksson Einarsson and Wijkstroumlm 2014
Hemerijck Draumlbing Vis Nelson and Soentken 2013 Morel Palier and Palme 2012)
welfare state reforms have been implemented in all European countries over the past
three decades Initially these reforms were about social and economic policy adjustment
and mainly focused on economic competitiveness Then once the European economic and
monetary union was established EU Member States became more willing to adapt
measures of cost containment together with more active labour market policies such as
subsidized employment and training
From 2000 new emerging societal challenges related to new work values family gender
relations and social integration reinforced by problems such as population ageing de-
industrialization and changing family roles (see eg Esping-Andersen et al 2002) pushed
policy makers to promote more active welfare models Most EU countries initiated
substantial welfare reforms in order to maximize employment restrain early retirement
and reconcile work and family life
According to Hemerijck (2013) Hemerijck et al (2013) and Nelson (2012) there seems
to be no radical changes in welfare reform patterns in Europe Even when changes are
substantial policies do not depart from existing practices (Esping-Andersen et al 2002)
Most reforms represent cumulative policy adjustments across adjacent policy areas Social
investment is another key means of bringing down unemployment by channelling (less
productive) workers into social security programmes and maximizing the rate of
employment
Both the Continental and the Nordic models moved from labour-shedding policies to
employment maximising strategies In addition in the Continental welfare model minimum
income provision was strengthened and there was a shift from male-breadwinner family
support towards family services based on female employment and work-care balance
Though there is a variety of regime-specific measures (Palier 2010 Esping-Andersen
2010) there is also a convergence between social policy and employment objectives in
line with the policy initiatives promoted by the EU agenda to encourage the transformation
of the welfare state (Bouget 2005) This process signals a transition from a
passivecorrective welfare state to a proactive investment strategy more focused on
prevention activation and social servicing (Hay 2004)
Finally in terms of old social policies such as pensions more Member States are making
occupational and private pensions compulsory and have developed systems linking
benefits with actual contributions
To summarise an analysis of the status of implementation of welfare policy reforms in
Europe is presented in Table 1 below It is structured according to the following
dimensions proposed by Hemerijck (2013b) (1) macroeconomic policy (including fiscal
exchange rate and monetary policy) (2) wage bargaining and industrial relations (3)
labour market policy (4) labour market regulation (5) social insurance and social
assistance (6) old age pensions (7) family and social servicing (8) welfare financing
and (9) governance and social policy administration
17
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Macroeconomic policy (including fiscal budget and monetary policy)
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size
Wage bargaining and industrial relations
Collective bargaining agreement not binding introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement
Collective bargaining agreement especially in Italy
Collective bargaining agreement only in a minority of countries introduction of minimum wage
Labour market policy
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning Flexicurity model which is the integration of generous unemployment benefits active labour market policies and flexible labour markets with the aim of improving workforces quality while reducing unemployment
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning some forms of flexicurity
Activation labour policy in Spain
Social insurance and social assistance
Tax cut for low wages support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed older regular workforce and support for the disabled
Support for low wages workers support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Support for disabled long-term unemployed marginal workers as well as short- term unemployed
Limited support for marginal workers mostly for insiders
Support to long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Old age pensions
Increase in retirement age expansion of support to groups having lower income or irregular employment
Flexible retirement age increase in pension age move from a defined benefit to a defined- pay-as-you-go contribution system
Increase in retirement age more flexibility in retirement age partial privatisation of pensions with complementary occupational or private plans
Increase in retirement age linking of the pension formula to contributions in a quasi-actuarial fashion introducing a public notional defined contribution system
Reforms of pension systems through privatization and individualization of savings Before the reforms pension systems were defined as ldquopay as you gordquo ( transfers from public firms to the state budget with scarce contributions from workers
18
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Family and social servicing
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave
Increase of maternity and paternity leave increased access to childcare
Welfare financing
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
In Czech Republic there was a shift from tax financing in order to increase payroll financing In this way social contribution was linked to benefit
Governance and social policy administration
In Ireland from 1994 onwards the state became less involved in the implementation of social policies as for example public employment services were moved to non-statutory agencies
In Denmark the second Rasmussen government reformed the Public Employment Services streamlining the responsibilities for all labour market policies both for insured and uninsured jobseekers under a single National Labour Market Authority
In Germany the Hartz commission recommended the restructuring of the social insurance system and in particular of the German Public Employment Service governance
Source IESI internal elaboration
19
The above table shows that the Nordic and Continental countries implemented structural
reforms earlier than the other countries and in more depth They also pursued synergies
with social investments policies
For example these countries (particularly the Nordic ones) have implemented labour
market policies combined with training life-long learning and flexicurity policies These
policies aim to mitigate inequalities by leveraging human capital and thus the quality of
the workforce while at the same time reducing unemployment
The Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted similar employment policies although these do
not include any form of flexicurity
By contrast the Mediterranean countries ndash with the exception of Spain ndash and the Eastern
European countries did not adopt any significant structural measures to support the
workforce until the crisis In recent years the Mediterranean countries have started to
adopt some reforms of the labour market and other structural reforms addressing their
social protection systems However these are not considered in the above table because
they have not affected society yet
These differences in labour market policies are also apparent in other structural policies
such as old age pension policies Nordic and Continental countries have introduced
flexible retirement age policies and increased the pension age as have other countries
Policy measures to support family and work life balance were adopted to some extent by
most EU Member States at least in relation to the ldquoincrease of maternity and paternity
leaverdquo However only in the Nordic Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare models have
these measures been associated with other measures which support a better balance
between work and life and greater access to childcare and female employment In these
countries the benefits of structural changes in their welfare systems have also been
translated into reduced taxation and rationalized public administration services In most
cases this was accomplished by integrating various social services and creating a single
point of access
The structural reforms allowed Nordic Central European and Anglo-Saxon countries to
also adopt more active social insurance and social assistance policy reforms For
example they were able to introduce tax cuts for low wages workers and to offer more
support to the long-term and short-term unemployed and regular older workers as well
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services
321 Social services delivery
A social services system is generally defined as the (combination) of interventions
programmes and benefits that are provided by governmental civil society and
community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically
disadvantaged individuals and families In this respect social services are mainly
provided by public sector organisations and different levels of government using
traditional public service delivery mechanisms However social services can also be
contracted to private organizations through concessions transfers outsourcing or other
public-private partnerships systems such as framework contracts and service-levels
agreements Contracting out is becoming more and more common citizens and
organizations from the private or the third sector are complementing the public sector in
providing services or are acting as partners in designing and implementing different
service delivery phases Often the design and provision of new innovative services can be
initiated by private or third sector organisations and subsequently incorporated into the
public service delivery system
The Commission Communication on social services of general interest (April 2006 - COM
(2006) 177 final) defines two main categories of social services
20
i ldquoStatutory and complementary social security schemes organised in various ways
(mutual or occupational organisations) covering the main risks of life such as
those linked to health ageing occupational accidents unemployment retirement
and disabilityrdquo
ii ldquoOther essential services provided directly to the person These services that play
a preventive and social cohesion role consist of customised assistance to facilitate
social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights They comprise first of all
assistance for people faced by personal challenges or crises (such as debt
unemployment drug addiction or family breakdown) Secondly they include
activities to ensure that the persons concerned are able to completely reintegrate
into society (rehabilitation language training for immigrants) and in particular
the labour market (occupational training and reintegration) These services
complement and support the role of families in caring for the youngest and oldest
members of society in particular Thirdly these services include activities to
integrate persons with long-term health or disability problems Fourthly they also
include social housing providing housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially
less advantaged groupsrdquo
By the same token according to EC (2010) social services improve citizensrsquo quality of life
by helping to tackle issues such as market externalities information asymmetries
distributional concerns agency problems natural monopolies public goods and services
(Cichon et al 2004 Greve 2002) Welfare states have several instruments they can use
to remedy these negative externalities eg governments are able to tax public ldquobadsrdquo
(Albrecht 2006)
The social services delivery systems carry out the following series of functions
Provision of care and support which is obviously the key function of Personal
Social Services (PSS - which include PSSGI) systems Each country decides which
sectors provide the services and how and who receives them under what
circumstances
Community development and care coordination because all systems have to
figure out and coordinate efficiently additional non-state resources due to the fact
that limited funding is available for services
Social control consisting of the enforcement of societal rules and procedures and
also societal norms For example mentally ill individuals and young offenders can
act in ways that are not in their own interests and can also represent a threat to
other citizens
Protection especially of children older people and the disabled who can be
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation
Regulation countries have adopted a decentralized mixed economy in which the
central state plays a crucial role in regulating PSS by setting standards and
monitoring developments
Social integration of excluded groups into mainstream society
The stakeholders responsible for the above functions belong to three main sectors
The public sector including local regional and central government Personal social
services can be provided by individual departments or as part of larger
departments such as social security health and education
The for-profit sector which is growing in size and relevance in some EU countries
(eg United Kingdom) The organizations operating in this sector are sometimes
difficult to distinguish from the ones operating in the voluntary non-profit sector
The only criterion that may differentiate these two sectors is an annual budget
surplus in the former
21
The voluntary non-profit sectors (consisting in self-help groups like the Alcoholics
Anonymous or NGOs) These use both paid and unpaid resources and volunteers
working inside or outside formal schemes
The evidence collected in this research suggests the following common trends in policy
reforms
Promotion of targeted programmes for the social and economic integration of
socially unprotected families by distributing social protection funds and
operational activities that target not only households but also specific individuals
according to their social and economic needs
Reconsideration of social protection systems in terms of not only existing
operations problems and service provision but also the needs of future
generations in order to ensure their sustainability
Introduction of roadmaps consisting of specific steps to improve social protection
It is worth noting that the use of ICTs boosts the operational transformation in social
services delivery processes in the above mentioned trends in policy reforms For
example it allows
An open-government approach and also the re-use of data through electronic
channels and across the entire public sector
The use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) in the 2014-2020
period to further finance ICT-based developments in healthcare with a view to
ensuring better connectivity between and among national healthcare systems
The integration of systems across departments and public authorities This allows
data and processes to be automatically shared so that support can be tailored by
predictive analytics based on evidence of what works for different customer
groups
The collection of information on policy interventions in order to build evidence to
inform future policy design
Online access to all transactions information and services
322 Social services integration
To cope with the societal challenges and demands for social services mentioned in the
previous subsection new approaches to service delivery are necessary The literature
review carried out shows that service delivery should have the following characteristics
Integrated services human resources management and social service delivery
model design need to be integrated in order to create more effective solutions for
people at risk and for disadvantaged groups Governments are exploring the
potential of integrating their various systems and service models to provide a
single point of customer service This will reduce administrative costs and increase
efficiency by removing duplication Moreover eliminating barriers to access and
offering a more user-centric approach would improve service efficiency and user
satisfaction
Shared services combining back-office processes reduces costs and increases the
effectiveness of service delivery Moreover sharing administrative systems and
processes allows governments to better leverage their technology and service
provider budgets Some governments have taken this approach further making
use of cloud technology to provide infrastructure and systems as a service
offering greater agility and responsiveness to their human resources and social
service agencies
22
Public Private Partnership (PPP) models PPPs can help achieve cost-efficiencies
By contracting services out to the private sector governments might be able to
reduce overheads focus on core service components and achieve greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment Moreover PPPs can achieve
greater efficiency as private organizations seek to reduce costs while maintaining
high levels of service delivery However to maximize the value of PPPs
governments must mitigate the risks associated with third-sector relationships
They must also structure reimbursement in a way that incentivizes efficiency and
positive outcomes while preventing fraud and abuse
Greater accountability governments are also trying to increase the impact of their
services by strengthening financial and accounting systems Thus they not only
achieve greater effectiveness but also enhance their ability to detect fraud and
address system inefficiencies Furthermore governments are also experimenting
with dynamic pay-for-performance models in existing markets through PPPs This
kind of model embeds the principles of accountability into service provision and
creates programmes that are focused on outcomes rather than processes
According to KPMG (2013) ldquoservices integrationrdquo denotes efforts to increase the
coordination of operations within human resources and social services systems Its
overall aim is to improve efficiency and client outcomes As shown in Figure 5 below
the integration process can be depicted as a continuum from no integration to full
integration
Figure 5 The integration continuum
Source KPMG 2013
The provision of integrated services offers the following advantages from an operational
perspective
increased capacity and value for money by reducing duplication in administrative
processes
improved strategic planning and system integrity as the sharing of information
between different agencies and programme areas improves the understanding of
service usage patterns and client needs
bull A highly fragmented
system with service
delivery organizations
working in isolation
No Integration
bull Informal cooperation between practitioners
bull Sharing of facilities and overheads but no integration of service
Partial Integration
bull Some formal sharing of resources and joint planning
bull I n f o r m a t i o n o n m u l t i p l e s e r v i c e s availability
Limited integration
bull Integrated staffing
funding technology
applications service
delivery tools and case management
Full integration
23
reduced demand for emergency services since smoother and more coordinated
assistance can help stabilise the conditions of clients thus reducing the need for
more costly crisis interventions
Moreover integrated services offer clients the following advantages
simplified access through one-stop-shops and integrated online portals
holistic and customized support through better understanding of their needs
faster response times as streamlined back-office systems improve processing
times
improved outcomes and user experience as better sequencing and coordination of
interventions can improve client outcomes over time
The key enablers of services integration can be represented and explained as shown in
Figure 6 below
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation
Source KPMG 2013
It is useful to briefly examine the three main drivers of service integration
Demographic transition more and more individuals are affected by a range of
different conditions and use multiple services Advances in technology have made
it possible to link information across programme areas and identify individuals
with complex needs In addition population ageing is prompting the redesign of
the provision of care for the aged because of sustainability challenges for care
providers changing family dynamics and structures high levels of household
debt and declining private pension coverage These factors mean that more older
people will rely on care provided by government rather than relatives or personal
savings
KEY ENABLERS
bull Electronic client records data analytics and interoperable technologies have enabled the identification of at-risk clients and a better understanding of service usage Coordinated case management and the more targeted use of resources have been possible as a result
bull Advances in data encryption and the proliferation of internet usage and mobile computing devices have allowed more clients to self-serve
through integrated web portals secure online accounts and mobile device applications
bull Data sharing legislation has facilitated
seamless referrals and integrated case
management between government
agencies and providers from the private
and not-for-profit sectors
bull Governments have sought to ensure pract it ioner compliance through
enshrining integration initiatives in
legislation
Legislation
bull Combined working groups staff co-
l o c a t i o n a n d j o i n t t r a i n i n g
arrangements are enabling knowledge
transfer and collaboration between
agencies levels of government andor
different sectors bull Transformed training recruitment
communi cation and performance
management practices are addressing
skills gaps and supporting new ways of
working New roles are being created and existing jobs redesigned
Workforce development
Technology
bull Payment-for-performance funding models (where providers are rewarded for improving client outcomes) are promoting the use of coordinated interventions to address social problems
bull The introduction of personal budgets is enabling service users and case managers to bypass organizational silos and purchase a mix of
support services from providers In doing so greater choice and autonomy is driving the creation of a social services marketplace
bull Pooled ldquoplace-basedrdquo budgets are producing clear incentives to coordinate services around local needs bull Joint commissioning enables agencies to overcome barriers to sharing resources and coordinating investment
bull Contracting and tendering reforms are being used to incentivize collaboration among third party service providers
Funding and contracting
24
Client expectations digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can
interface with service providers across a range of industries They now expect to
be able to access information and services through the web and mobile devices
Human and social services leaders are responding to these cultural changes and
new usage patterns by developing a range of new digital platforms including
integrated websites online accounts and smartphone and tablet apps
Economic pressures the global economic downturn has caused a rise in
unemployment (particularly long-term) in many countries Governments have
started to bring together services to address the demand and supply-side barriers
that prevent individuals from finding sustained employment However at the
same time high levels of sovereign debt have led to public sector austerity
measures in many developed economies This makes the issue of more cost-
effective service delivery one of the top priorities in policy agendas
As regards integrated services provision the following trends need to be considered
Client pathways aim to provide a more targeted and personalized approach that
enables clients with complex needs to receive coordinated services and support In
addition they enable most clients to serve themselves through streamlined access
points This trend also applies to government interventions which target the way
clients engage with services Governments are building capacity in big data analytics
as the growing complexity of datasets makes client patterns difficult to identify
without approaches of this kind
Focus on outcomes service providers are increasingly expected to deliver
demonstrable improvements in client outcomes Governments are increasingly
investing in building an evidence base for services integration They are developing
funding regimes linked to measurable outcomes and coordinating upstream
interventions that focus on prevention Service delivery providers are testing a range
of techniques and tools which encourage case workers and clients to focus on
achieving a set of agreed outcomes
bull Online access secure online accounts that allow users to navigate and access
programmes have become the norm in many jurisdictions
Inter-governmental integration there is growing recognition that greater
coordination between different levels of government is essential to improve system
integrity It reduces both duplication and gaps in service provision and enables
comprehensive responses to clientsrsquo complex needs Examples of government actions
in this respect include
Joint commissioning through joint-commissioning governments at different
levels find ways to combine resources align incentives and optimize system level
outcomes
Interoperability new frameworks tools and technologies are being developed
to enable systems to interact and exchange information across different levels of
government
bull Inter-sectorial integration governments are increasingly seeking opportunities to
build partnerships with service providers in the private and not-for-profit sectors
because of the significant role they play in delivering publicly-funded services The
current service delivery sector is highly fragmented and uncoordinated Therefore
individuals and families in need of support must navigate a confusing array of
providers and services In an attempt to solve this issue governments are taking the
following actions
o Network integration governments bring together community agencies in
formal networks to offer clients seamless support as they move through family
support services
25
o Resource sharing many governments make information available through
open data portals others have set up common client databases and removed
barriers that have previously have prevented the sharing of client information
across sectors finally some governments are engaged in staff co-location
o Funding and contracting governments have streamlined contracting
processes by standardizing terms and consolidating contracts They also use
funding to incentivize community sector consolidation collaboration and
social enterprise and to produce joint investment strategies
o Location-based integration there is growing support for the notion that
complex social problems are best addressed through coordinated local-level
interventions Governments have begun to undertake location-based planning
which has led to the restructuring of human resources and social services
departments along geographical rather than programme lines This gives them
a better understanding of local needs and enables them to react more
effectively to local needs
323 The one-stop-shop model
A typical example of services integration is the ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo model Following Askim
et al (2011) a ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo can be defined as an organizational model in which
service users are provided with a single entry point into the welfare system This model
is used to improve coordination in welfare services provision and takes various forms
such as fully integrated and physically co-located services virtual information portals
frontlines of complex single agencies or umbrella structures for several agencies
The participant structure of ldquoone stop shopsrdquo may be thought of as a variable In some
cases this structure can be quite simple for instance when a single agency with a wide
task portfolio implements a ldquoone stop shoprdquo for its customers In other cases the
structure is more complex For example the ldquoone stop shoprdquo may operate on top of
partner organizations and aim to maximize the convenience to the clients of all partners
through service integration operating as an intergovernmental partnership In this case
partner organisations remain separate but parts of their services are integrated
Coordination in ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo usually occurs when policy best meets citizensrsquo needs
ldquoOne-stop shopsrdquo represent a mechanism for increasing accessibility enhancing bottom-
up accountability achieving greater efficiency and reducing transaction costs and
duplications from the perspective of citizens providers and governments Kubicek and
Hagen (2001) distinguish between ldquofirst stop shopsrdquo ldquoconvenience storesrdquo and true ldquoone-
stop shopsrdquo The ldquofirst stop shoprdquo merely points citizens to relevant services In this case
clients have to take at least one more step which implies substantial pro-active
involvement on their part The ldquoconvenience storerdquo model is when several transactional
services are located in a single office or on one website In this case citizens are also
required to take further steps themselves The final type the lsquodepartment storersquo or true
one stop shop integrates specific client groups andor focuses services around specific
life events or administrative matters affecting citizens
The key dimensions defining ldquoone stop shopsrdquo with associated values are presented in
Table 2 Although the values presented are binary each variable can be thought as a
continuum with ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo located in the continuum between these two values
The first dimension is the tasks portfolio which represents the range of services
delivered The breadth of the task portfolio (narrow vs broad) corresponds to the range
of policy areas covered As an example some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo only deal with
unemployment while others offer services in other areas such as pensions welfare
benefits and social services The depth (shallow vs deep) refers to work processes
some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo provide only partial product closure (ie information or
26
signposting only) while others provide complete product closure (ie information
advice assistance to the application processes and case closure)
We also differentiate ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo according to how autonomous they are Those
with low autonomy where participation is compulsory have little discretion in terms of
budget management and organization Those with high autonomy where participation
is voluntary have a high degree of discretion in terms of budget management and
organization
They can also be distinguished in terms of participant structure Simple structures
include only a few partners and a single public level of government and complex
structures involve several agencies and levels of government as well as a mix of public
and private actors
Proximity to citizens is another factor services can be distant (eg regionally-based
service) or close (eg locally-based neighbourhood services virtually accessible in
citizensrsquo own homes)
Finally if we look at the instruments (tools or mechanisms) used to facilitate joint
working we can distinguish between low integration when the services are located
together but managed separately and high integration with joint management budget
and recruitment
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops
Variable Values and Examples
Tasks portfolio
Narrow Broad
Few policy areas eg employment only
More policy areas eg pensions welfare benefits social services
Shallow Deep
Information signposting only (only partial product closure)
Information + advice + assistance with applications case closure on the spot (complete product closure)
Participant structure
Simple Complex
Few agencies Multiple agencies
One municipality Several municipalities
One level of government Several levels of government
Public sector only Mix of public private NGOs
Autonomy Low High
Compulsory participation in one stop shop
Voluntary participation in one stop shop
Little discretion in terms of budget management
organization
High discretion in terms of budget management organization
Proximity to citizen
Distant Close
Regionally based service Locally based neighbourhood service virtual service accessible in own home
Instruments Low integration High integration
Co-located services but separately managed
Joint management joint budgets joint recruitment personal shopper
Source Askim et al 2011
27
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision
331 ICTs supporting the transformation of social service delivery
In general terms the use of ICTs has an impact on the transformation of social service
delivery as it facilitates targeting by identifying beneficiaries more effectively It also
improves payment mechanisms allowing savings on operational costs (time and human
resources) and on benefits provided (avoiding double allowances) Their use also makes
interventions more effective (thanks to greater accuracy) and encourages greater trust in
government through better user experience
ICTs can be used as a vehicle to increase accountability and to transform and extend the
reach of service delivery to the underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient
manner In fact ICTs are able to increase accessibility inclusivity and flexibility in
service delivery allowing more citizens to interact with government with the flexibility of
choice offered by multiple delivery channels and in more convenient timeframes
Thus governments can transform the way services are delivered by using ICTs rather
than simply cutting back on social services in the face of budget deficits Following Booz
et al (2005) we describe four main waves of ICT adoption by governments in Figure 7
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments
Source Booz et al (2005)
The first wave focused on improving access and connectivity and was largely concerned
with the development of infrastructure The second wave provided add-ons to existing
services through online provision The third wave led by efficiency agendas focused on
the automation of existing processes Governments have re-engineered their business
processes and implemented faster ones enabled by ICTs Thus ICTs have played an
important role in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of government services
even though more integrated and citizen-centric service delivery still requires further
transformation of business processes to adopt and respond to new technologies This will
be achieved in the fourth wave in which the traditional channels for running the back-
office of government become ICT-enabled and seamlessly integrated In this stage
governments will shift from re-engineering existing processes to envisioning completely
new ways of implementing service delivery
28
The framework proposed by Booz et al in 2005 is still valid from a conceptual
standpoint However it is clear that more recent developments in ICT adoption in
government and more specifically in social services delivery processes (which are highly
knowledge intensive and where ICTs can therefore play an important role) need to be
considered This is especially the case in what could be considered as a fifth wave which
would include the adoption of new technological architectures These will enable the use
of interception techniques management and analysis of structured and non-structured
data (Big Data Analytics) and the production and use of public data in a linked format
(BOLD ndash Big Open Linked data) The latter will intersect with single users personalised
approaches exploiting multi-device and multi-channel logics (eg web social mobile)
This is will make it easier to use ICTs as the main means of developing different
pathways for the management of social services They will allow the application of an
end-user centric approach and the development of new services at the point of need
They will also leverage new horizontal forms of cooperation based on social innovation
principles
Therefore in line with the overall literature review and recent trends not yet fully
considered by most scholars in the field the transformation of social service delivery can
be enabled by ICTs along the following dimensions
Degree of integration across multiple social services This is an important
aspect of the contribution made by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to the
modernisation of social protection systems in light of current trends It represents
the capability of social innovation initiatives to achieve the aim of social
investment policies namely delivering social services which increase institutional
complementarities and ensure the integration of policy measures (EC 2015)
Degree of stakeholder participation in the social service delivery model
This is another important aspect of the impact of ICT-enabled social innovation It
represents the capability of initiatives to develop a collaborative service delivery
model (across public private and non-governmental operators) ICT-enabled
social innovation initiatives are able to integrate multi-stakeholder perspectives in
the co-design and co-creation of innovative solutions of social services delivery
processes (Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) ICTs can be the engine for new
forms of horizontal ndash and to some extent circular ndash subsidiarity and for entirely
new and disruptive innovation in the social and human services sector Thus they
support the emergence of new public private and mixed (hybrids) markets and
new value propositions at the crossroads between market and social protection
systems
Key transformation dimensions enabled by different combinations of ICTs may include
More accessible data Here ICTs could support
o the demand side by allowing providers to extract detailed information on
the needs profile of each user via web and social semantic mechanisms
This would give them information on new service opportunities assistance
needs and other useful items of information in a near real time
communication protocol
o the supply side by providing through big data and visual analytics
detailed and valuable information on the current social service system
capacity obtaining data from Web sectoral or relevant databases and
other structured or unstructured data sources (Linked Open Data)
Better knowledge The cloud and distributed knowledge management platforms
enable in-depth analysis of current markets They aggregate data via a well-
structured semantic interoperability approach and big data and visual analytics
technologies They enable in-depth evaluations of future scenarios thanks to data
mining and agent-based approaches
29
Better regulation Information deriving from all the actors involved in the
process could enrich the knowledge management environment thus enabling
institutions to adopt measures to improve processes (Process Changes) from a
regulatory and an operational point of view
Sirovatka-Greve (2015) identified four streams in the discussion of social innovation in
public services
The role of innovation in the knowledge economy (Room 2005) this focuses on
how innovation in technologies and in management can be applied to the
provision of public services
Public sector innovation (Bloch 2010) looking at how to support the private
sector in its efforts to innovate
Governance models (for instance decentralisation marketization or partnerships)
as sources of innovation (Van Berkel et al 2011)
Grass-roots organisations and initiatives how they can be empowered and
supported to innovate (Klein and Harrison 2007)
These four interrelated streams point to social innovation as a way of modernising public
sector systems adapting them to citizensrsquo needs and expectations better and more
economically sustainable
ICTs potential for enhancing innovation in social services could go beyond simply making
new products available or improving efficiency in management practices They can foster
a key characteristic of social innovation namely its capacity to bring together a broad
range of stakeholders facilitating their efforts to jointly build new and better answers to
ever-changing societal needs in spite of shrinking public budgets ICTs have enabled new
organisational business and value models Technological skills are often instrumental to
capacity building and to the empowerment of all operators engaged in the delivery of
social services innovation These skills may result in more sustainable individual and
collective behaviour and in self-regulation processes
332 ICTs enabling changes in social services delivery models
According to Van Berkel et al (2011) reforms in service delivery systems have been
traditionally related to three main movements decentralisation (political or
administrative) marketization (contracting-out or strengthening competition among
providers) and new public management (performance indicators incentives and
controlmonitoring mechanisms)
To better understand the contribution ICTs can make to the process of change in social
service delivery models it might be useful to consider another approach ie one that
looks at the link between the reform in service delivery systems and the social needs
primarily addressed in specific fields of social services
First of all ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can contribute to better
coordination among citizens and social services actors or beneficiaries and
formal and informal caregivers The aim of these ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to increase coordination and collaboration amongst those for example who
care for chronically-ill patients at home Here ICTs can act as an enabling factor that
drives the organizational transformation of service delivery A major advantage of ICTs is
that they provide case management services customized to the changing needs of the
patients and their relatives at the point of need In addition they can strengthen inter-
governmental integration and inter-sectorial communication among care providers ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives can increase the productivity of the workforce and
the cost-effectiveness of the service delivery process They can also ensure the overall
sustainability of the service in the mid to long term
30
Secondly ICTs encourage active inclusion and provide support to the care
practices communities The aim of these types of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to empower ageing people by increasing their capabilities to care for
themselves and at the same time to support their inclusion in society In this ICTs are
fundamental ldquogame changersrdquo substantially transforming care services delivery In line
with the SIP objectives they promote active inclusion and help to make significant
savings in care services delivery (eg less unplanned hospitalizations for adverse events
and increase of productivity of the care workforce)
Furthermore the contribution of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives may be seen
when we look at innovations for home care services delivery This type of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiative is the most frequently implemented because it is
recognised that home care for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF
etc) and ageing patients in general is much better than hospital care In contrast to the
previous cases the ICT focus here is on monitoring technologies (mainly sensors and
actuators) that can provide health professionals with data and information automatically
about patientsrsquo health status and allow a virtual nearly real-time interaction with them
These technologies can be ldquogame-changersrdquo in the modernisation of care services as
they enable a disruptive transformation of the care processes for these patients
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can also be game changers in integrating work
and care This type of initiative also fits in well with structural reforms that aim to allow
individuals of working age to remain productive and employable for longer than before
In addition ICT-enabled social innovation can contribute to transforming service delivery
models through better integration between employment and life-long learning
services throughout individualsrsquo lives They address the need to leverage the knowledge
capital of individuals and maintain the employability of Europeans at a high level In
these cases ICT-enabled social innovation can enable e-learning services and thus
maintain individualsrsquo employability levels over time andor to better integrate the back
offices of organizations which match job demand with job offer In more advanced cases
ICT can also be ldquogame changersrdquo by proactively integrating life-long learning services
with the automatic identification of skills gaps so that jobseekers meet job offer
requirements These initiatives increase individualsrsquo employability throughout their
working lives
ICTs also contribute to change by better integrating work family and social
inclusion These types of initiatives help individuals to cope with childcare keeping
them included in society and allowing them to participate in labour markets ICT-enabled
social innovation solutions facilitate the identification of the best service providers and
the coordination of public and private offers of childcare services for families They also
enhance the integration of public and private actors in their efforts to cover the whole
spectrum of childcare services These initiatives have an impact on the modernisation of
social services as they allow for example better synchronization of the public and
private offer of childcare services which in turn increases their cost-effectiveness They
also minimize vacancies andor overbooking of childcare services and reduce the
negative externalities affecting parents for instance reconciling family life social
inclusion and work
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives also improve the delivery of social inclusion
services for the homeless This type of services addresses the needs of homeless
people living in urban centres Homelessness is a complex problem which requires the
provision of structural solutions and at the same time first-aid interventions which cut
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
ICT-enabled social innovation in this case can support both sides of homeless peoples
needs as it can provide a more cost effective means of collaboration and coordination
between public and private actors involved in the delivery of a service ICTs can in fact
act as a ldquogame-changerrdquo by using information technology to help public and private
31
actors understand better the behaviour of homeless people and provide more effective
services at the point of need ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can significantly
improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery models
Finally ICT-enabled social innovation fosters the development of one-stop-shops
This is another type of social innovation initiative for the modernisation of social services
delivery in which ICTs can play a relevant role as already discussed
333 Enabling factors and barriers
Social innovation is a very high priority on the European political agenda (Haxeltine et al
2013 BEPA 2014) not only because it is seen as a new way to address social issues
oversaw by both private and public sectors but also because of the complex social
economic and environmental challenges which affect society
Social protection systems in EU Member States are facing a double challenge First they
must address contingency needs with reduced budgets as a consequence of the crisis
Second they must respond to the needs emerging from structural changes including
evolving social preferences and behaviours demographic change technological
innovations etc
As already discussed the public sector is having difficulties in addressing these
challenges Furthermore social services have not up until now been profitable enough for
the private sector Civil society and citizens however are finding new ways of providing
structural and sustainable answers to these challenges through social innovation
In this context promoting social innovation within social policies entails
Adopting an investment approach which is coherent with the anticipated societal
needs
Mobilising a wide range of actors other than the usual social sector actors
Combining skillsbackgroundculture and business in ways which differ from
traditional business solutions
It also requires policy makers and the public sector in general to provide a suitable
environment in which these efforts can flourish They must also embed social innovation
initiatives in the public sector transformation process Policy initiatives should also
provide incentives which would encourage private investors to become involved in social
investment They may then find new paradigms and business models which would give
them a return on their investments and at the same time have a positive social impact
(Bugg-Levine amp Emerson 2011 Epstein amp Yuthas 2014)
As recognized by Caulier-Grice et al (2012) the distinguishing element of social
innovation is that it can ldquomeet societal needsrdquo in more effective ways than other
approaches by ldquoenhancing society capacity to act and often entails changes in social and
power relationsrdquo Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises play an important role
because they can rdquocreate social values that is seen as the creation of benefits or
reduction of costs for society ndash through efforts that address social need and problems ndash
in ways that go beyond the private gains and general benefits of market activityrdquo (Phills
et al 2008)
Both social investment perspectives and social innovation policies aim to address
relevant societal needs and contribute to the sustainable development of society Both
put the individual at the centre of the decision process
The complementarities between social investment perspectives and social policy
innovation are presented in Table 3 below
32
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation
Source IESI internal elaboration inspired by Hautamaki (2010)
According to Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin (2014) the main message coming from social
innovation initiatives is that ldquothey are the opposite of quick-fix solutions using their full
potential requires nothing less than a combination of lsquothe deep strategies of chess
masters with the quick tactics of acrobatsrsquo The lifecycles of social innovations (processes
of emergence stabilisation and scaling up) are very conditional and are not available
simply at the press of a buttonrdquo
Social innovation is the focus of a whole range of European Commission policy initiatives
the European platform against poverty and social exclusion the Innovation Union the
Social Business Initiative the Employment and Social Investment packages the Digital
Agenda the new industrial policy the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy
Ageing and Cohesion Policy Furthermore many social innovation projects have been
funded by Structural Funds Social innovation has been explicitly integrated into the
Structural Funds Regulations for 2014-2020 This opens up possibilities for Member
States and regions to invest in social innovation both through the ERDF and the ESF
A recent report provides information on policies adopted by the EU to support the
introduction of social innovation in public service modernisation processes (Hubert
Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) In particular it recognizes that the public sector will achieve
greater gains in quality efficiency fairness transparency and accountability only by
following social innovation principles like
Co-designing and co-creating innovative solutions (with other Member States
other parts of government businesses the third sector and citizens)
Adopting new and collaborative service delivery models (across public private and
non-governmental actors both within and across national borders)
Embracing creative disruption from technology (the pervasive use of social media
mobility big data cloud computing packaged in new digital government
offerings)
Adopting an attitude of experimentation and entrepreneurship (government itself
needs to become bolder and more entrepreneurial) ldquo
To understand how social innovation can contribute in practice to social investments and
to the modernisation of the social protection and social security systems in Europe an in-
depth analysis of case studies of emerging social innovation initiatives was carried out as
described in the next chapter
Social investment policy Social policy innovation
Basic value
Mitigation of inequalities across social groups through economic development and employment growth
Wellbeing and sustainable development
Type of policy
Supply-driven with focus on human capital development and efficient use throughout the life course of the individuals
Demand-driven with beneficiaries at the centre of the decision process
Level of implementation National level Regional-local level
Field of action National Global
Actors addressed Mainly single institution (now) Inter-institutional complementarities (trend)
Multi-stakeholders
Implementation process Direction and control from above (top-down)
Enabling spontaneous processes and experiments and competitions (bottom-up)
33
4 Cases overview
41 Main characteristics
As described in Chapter 2 a two-step approach based on a multi-criteria analysis and the
IESI conceptual framework was used to define a set of successful or promising cases for
further study A brief overview of the 14 selected cases is presented in Table 4 below
Table 4 Selected Case Studies
Initiative Acronym Country Area of service Welfare model
A Book for a Roof A Book for a Roof
Croatia Education and training - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Central Eastern Europe
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
ACTION Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Nordic
Badalona Assistance Services
BSA Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Mediterranean
Crossroads Bank for Social Security
CBSS Belgium Social care - Social assistance Employment - Civic engagement
Continental
Online Point of Single Contact
EESTIEE Estonia Civic engagement - Social care - Social assistance - Childcare - Education and training - Social housing - Employment - Social inclusion participation - Independent living
Central Eastern European
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
EKSOTE Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Nordic
Digitalisation of social security services
INPS Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement
Mediterranean
Little bird Little Bird Germany Childcare Continental
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
PASS Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Anglo-Saxon
Reform of employee
insurance implementation institution
PES Netherla
nds Employment - Employability - Social assistance
Continental
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web
Pocircle Emploi
France Employment - Employability
Continental
Strategy for Digital Welfare
SDW Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Nordic
National Telecare Development Programme
TDP Scotland UK
Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Anglo-Saxon
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
W2W Poland Employment - Employability
Central Eastern Europe
Source IESI internal elaboration
Some of the above initiatives have had a significant impact on the modernisation of
processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services at national level
These have a specific focus on the simplification of citizen access to social services and
the sustainability of social protection services for example the digitalization of services
(INPS) in Italy Estoniarsquos single point of contact (EESTIEE) the employee insurance
implementation institution (PES) in the Netherlands and the strategy for digital welfare
(SDW) in Denmark
34
Some of the selected initiatives focus solely on employment and employability PES Pocircle
Emploi and Express Train to Employment (W2W) These initiatives provide e-services for
jobseekers and employers at national level Other cases focus mainly on education and
training but also seek to improve social inclusion and the employability of beneficiaries
(eg A book for a Roof)
All the selected initiatives present a high degree of transferability In fact the service
models implemented in some of the initiatives have already been transferred to other
policy areas andor other geographical areas or are based on experiences in other
contexts for example Little Bird and W2W
The selected cases provide good coverage of the different types of actors generally
involved in ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives from the public private and third
sector The latter especially play a prominent role in some of the selected cases both as
initiative promoters and as active partners for example Pathway Accommodation amp
Support System (PASS) and A Book for a Roof
As shown in Figure 8 which illustrates the geographical distribution of the selected
initiatives the five welfare systems are covered fairly equally In addition as many
different EU countries as possible are included Each case represents a different country
and 14 different countries have therefore been covered in our analysis
Figure 8 Geographical distribution
Source IESI internal elaboration
Moreover the initiatives analysed represent all the PSSGI areas As shown in Table 5
below most of the initiatives because of the nature of the services offered and their
level of integration involve more than one type of social services
This is in line with the objectives of the IESI research It aims to explore initiatives which
have potential systemic effects on social protection systems and therefore considers the
ICT-enabled social innovation ecosystem (Misuraca et al 2015) in which each initiative
is embedded rather than individual practices focusing on a single area
35
Table 5 Social services addressed
Initiativersquos acronym
Country N of
PSSGI involved
Primary focus area
Additional focus areas
A Book for a Roof
Croatia 5 Education and training
Social Inclusion participation Civic engagement Social Assistance Employment
ACTION Sweden 5 Active Healthy Ageing
Independent living Integrated health- and social care Social Assistance Education and training
BSA Spain 3
Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
CBSS Belgium 4 Social Care Social Assistance Employment Civic engagement
EESTIee Estonia 9 Civic Engagement
Social Care Social assistance Childcare Education and training Social Housing Employment Social inclusionparticipation Independent living
EKSOTE Finland 2 Integrated health- and social care
Social Care
INPS Italy 4 Social Assistance
Social Care Social Inclusionparticipation Civic engagement
Little Bird Germany 1 Childcare None
PASS Ireland 2 Social Housing Social Assistance
PES Netherlands 3 Employment Employability Social Assistance
Pocircle Emploi France 2 Employability Employability Employment
SDW Denmark 5 Social Assistance
Social Care Education and training Integrated health- and social care Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
TDP United Kingdom
3 Independent living
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
W2W Poland 2 Employability Employment
Source IESI internal elaboration
Figure 9 shows the distribution of the selected cases across all the PSSGI covered by
the 14 selected cases It shows that the initiatives deal mostly with the following social
services areas social inclusionparticipation (17 of all initiatives) social assistance
(14) education and training (14) employability (12) and active and healthy ageing
(with all sub-areas combined 10)
36
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services
Source IESI internal elaboration
As explained in Chapter 2 the initiatives were assessed and selected against two
dimensions namely the level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled
innovation potential Figure 10 below illustrates the distribution of the selected
initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map where they have been located according to their
level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map
Source IESI internal elaboration
37
42 Areas of focus across the case studies
As already underlined in Section 2 the selected initiatives have high scores for at least
one of the two following dimensions ICT-enabled innovation potential and level of
governance of service integration The cross-case analysis therefore focuses on the other
two dimensions discussed namely the most significant social innovation elements which
characterise the initiatives and the type of service integration achieved or targeted
421 Social innovation focus
Our analysis shows that some initiatives which were conceived in order to meet new
emerging needs in the context of more complex societal challenges are either rooted in
or give rise to wider ranging structural changes at organizational and management level
(including at governance level) This type of structural change allows the creation and
allocation of new public value for citizens These initiatives normally target a wide
variety of beneficiaries and relevant needs see INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP
For example the implementation of the INPS (IT) initiative well represents a process
whose main initial objective was to move toward a need drivenoutcome-oriented service
production This required a complete redesign of the entire service production process
and the active contribution of all the stakeholders involved such as other public
administrations private intermediaries (Unions Tax Assistance Centres Labour market
consultants) and public and private job centres which resulted in a fundamental change
in the relationship between stakeholders It also transformed completely the traditional
way of managing running and controlling social security services using a new model
based on a client pathway approach This initiative is highly innovative since it improves
access to services in a one-stop shop approach allows the traceability of accounts and
enhances the accountability and transparency of the overall system
PASS (IE) is another good example of structural change and complete innovation in the
design of services for homeless people The overall need was to ensure better
coordination between the different institutions and private operators in the delivery of
services to homeless people The initiative has become a comprehensive client
management system for homeless service users which also provides statistical
information on homeless peoplersquos profiles and their use of the services The initiative has
become a powerful strategic instrument in the fight against homelessness PASS allows
us to identify emerging issues faced by the homeless it facilitates cooperation among
different agencies in order to provide a continuum of care and integrated assistance and
allows better planning of future services In this case the development of user pathways
in and out of the homeless service system which focus on individual needs rather than
on a specific group has also been central to the success of the initiative The system
produces statistical information on the homeless population which is being used by
public and private stakeholders to plan and manage programmes and strategies The
support provided to the homeless is therefore more effective and answers their needs
better This approach is more typical of the Anglo-Saxon welfare model in which private
sector actors are more involved in delivery systems
SDW (DK) is a digital strategy which aims to foster more cohesive welfare through
greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among administrations and stakeholders by
making use of ICTs It also seeks to create better opportunities to improve citizensrsquo
everyday lives in many areas such as healthcare social care labour market and
education through technologies Furthermore the digital transformation of welfare
services gives managers and employees in the public sector a more active role for
instance in motivating and assisting citizens to use technological solutions and get the
most out of them It makes the public sector more dynamic and innovative and capable
of delivering services of high quality As in other Nordic welfare social protection
systems social innovation in SDW is more about complementing and improving existing
public sector-led initiatives where the public sector plays a pivotal role in their success
than creating new services
38
Finally TDP (Scotland) and BSA (ES) allocate public value to citizens by integrating the
health and the social care sectors This facilitates the alignment of service funding and
incentives the promotion of inter-professional teams across the continuum of care as
and strong focused and diverse governance representing all stakeholders These
initiatives also foster a culture of cohesion which while familiar in the Anglo- Saxon
welfare model is more unusual and innovative in the Mediterranean welfare model
Nevertheless all the cases analysed in this section (INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP)
are the result of the general public spending review process in place at a national level
which encourages an overall rethinking of the ldquoapproach to clientrdquo in order to remain
sustainable over time
422 Social Service focus
Other initiatives focus on the social service itself Here the aim is to improve the match
between demand and supply with regard to a specific need These initiatives are
therefore mostly needs-driven and devoted to enhancing the outcomes of the
social protection system They consist of adapting the service supply and its delivery to
evolving needs It is quite a common priority of social protection systems in the Nordic
and Continental European welfare models and it appears in initiatives with a clearly
defined target service and a specific class of beneficiaries
PES (NL) focuses on building an accessible virtual market place in order to bridge the
gap between job seekers with difficulties to enter the labour market (mainly people with
disabilities) and employers who are willing to hire people from this group More precisely
this virtual market place makes more information available in order to allow profiling of
capabilities and competences and also supplies information on possible vacancies In
addition it provides accompanying services such as legal support profiling support etc
All this enhances the transparency of the labour market It allows the disabled to
participate in the workforce and the vacancies available for disabled employees to be
filled It also makes the communication with disabled applicants more timely and
efficient
EKSOTE (FI) and ACTION (SE) target senior citizens and their relatives in the area of
active and healthy ageing and long-term care They seek to reduce the incidence of a
typical condition and encourage people to care for themselves and live independently at
home They also support formal and informal carers The focus is on improving the
quality of care services through a more integrated and coordinated provision of social
services a simplification of the administration better targeting of benefits and it also
directs considerable educational efforts to beneficiaries and caregivers who use the new
services These initiatives enhance the cost-effectiveness of social services and allow the
provision of services which better meet the needs of senior citizens and their relatives
Another interesting case is A Book for a Roof which also targets a clearly defined type
of beneficiary namely homeless people It provides a well-defined social service offer -
ie ICT-training that improves homeless peoplesrsquo chances of finding a job It fosters
social inclusion and promotes the use of internet as an inclusion tool two innovative
components for homelessness services The initiative focuses on homeless peoplesrsquo
chances of re-engaging with the job market It helps them build a positive self-image a
challenge for one of the most complex socially-excluded population groups This initiative
seems to have an impact- albeit on a small-scale ndash on the complexity of needs that
causes homelessness with a simple but effective ldquoreciperdquo It invests in soft skills and
human relationships instead of giving financial or material support The philosophy
behind the initiative is that motivation and partnership can overcome the malfunctioning
or inadequacy of traditional systems This problem is particularly widespread in the
Central-Eastern European welfare states where social care and support are mainly based
on passive allocation of benefits This approach sometimes prevents vulnerable people
from reacting adequately in order to be socially included again
39
423 Open processes of co-creation and collaborative networks
Another group of initiatives focuses on open processes of co-creation and
collaborative innovation networks Their aim is to contribute to establishing new
types of relationships between community and institutions and to capitalize on
partnerships between the public and private sectors The use of information from
different sources for planning purposes is a common aspect of the initiatives belonging to
this group
EESTIEE (EE) for example offers a portal which provides services from various public
institutions through one single entry-point simplifying the administrative burden and
connecting entrepreneurs and citizens with institutions and private-sector entities such
as banks telecom providers and energy companies In this case the availability of
information is crucial for the provision of online procedures that enhance access to
services and participation in service delivery models
Like other initiatives in the Continental welfare model Little Bird (DE) and Pocircle Emploi
(FR) illustrate an extensive statutory social security system based on solidarity Little
Bird contributes to the goals of family-friendly policies that increase maternity and
paternity rights and offer a better work-life balance and easier access to childcare The
approach helps to match the childcare offer and demand by offering information and an
online search tool for parents looking for childcare and facilitating the administration of
childcare facilities for providers The creation of a simple online platform greatly
promoted engagement in civil society parents and providers and other relevant
operators are involved in a collaborative innovation network where they all proactively
develop implement and adopt this innovation by contributing their respective
knowledge Indeed in this open process of co-creation all stakeholders bring their
knowledge information experience and resources especially those that are relevant to
them since they are all direct beneficiaries
In Pocircle Emploi the transformative use of ICTs is apparent in the interactions between
jobseekers and counsellors ICTs are used to improve beneficiariesrsquo digital skills This
increases their employment opportunities and helps fight digital exclusion and social
isolation The Pocircle Emploi 100 Web initiative contributes to addressing policy goals
related to active inclusion strategies by promoting greater engagement of employers and
job seekers improving the quality of services provided and enhancing transparency in
processes and digital access to services
CBSS (BE) sought to address the problems arising from the lack of coordination and
integration of the information flows across different social security actors For example
an information burden is imposed on citizens and companies if they are required to
provide the same information several times It started as a coordinated information
management programme and led to the creation of a permanent and interoperable social
security network which includes all social security institutions operating in Belgium It
therefore acts as a public services integrator in the social security sector This has
allowed the reengineering and full automation of the social security organizational
processes for the benefit of the concerned institutions citizens and companies
W2W is another example of disruptive innovation which relies on the cooperation among
public institutions and private employment agencies The initiative profiles job demand
and supply better and thus creates opportunities which were not available before It has
enabled the co-design of a new set of employment services with shared funding and
shared governance The involvement of private operators in the delivery process is a
rather innovative approach for the Central-Eastern European welfare model where the
private sector has not traditionally played a pivotal role
40
5 Results from cross-case analysis
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems
The cross-case analysis has allowed us to gather insights into the contribution ICTs make
to the implementation of innovation in the social sector and to establish more
sustainable effective and accessible services The results achieved by these contributions
in turn affect the overall contribution ICTs could make to the implementation of the
Social Investment Package and the achievement of its policy goals and objectives
511 ICTs contribute to tackle emerging societal challenges
This section focuses on the enabling role of ICTs in achieving the necessary integration
at different levels This allows the redesign of services a new balance in the relationships
between private and public sector involved in the service delivery process an increase in
the transparency of processes and procedures that consume resources allocated to social
services better identification of individualsrsquo needs and better allocation of budgets
From the cross-case analysis we can see that ICTs play a crucial role in promoting social
innovation and social investment They enhance possible solutions to cope with global
trends which increase the complexity in the delivery of social services These trends are
summarised as follows
a) Supply and demand paradox
The crisis has left a lot of people in economic distress and at the same time public
budgets have been eroded Public administrations must reinvent their role within the
community as follows
Internally leveraging on the possibilities of achieving operational efficiency
(reengineering of production processes shifting resources from back office to
front office leveraging existing assets redefining services portfolios following
activity-based management principles etc)
Externally identifying synergies at inter-institutional level (with other public
agencies at local national and European level) investing in new cooperation with
other private providers at inter-sectoral level (eg intermediaries third sector
organizations academic researchers etc) designing public interventions in a
client-centred way (ldquoclient pathwayrdquo) independently of where the administrative
responsibility for the service lies
With regard to both trends ICTs help to free up resources which can then be reallocated
to processes and activities that create added-value They also play an enabling role in
establishing information exchange which fosters cooperation among different agencies
Rethinking service management and service delivery models to harness new technologies
and approaches and integrating service providers to gain efficiency help to close the
gap between supply and demand and between skillscapabilities and the broadening
range of demands
b) Empowerment of the individual
Global education and increasing awareness of civil rights and consequent responsibility
within communities empower citizens ICTs are helping to give individuals a more central
role in the decision making process They allow individuals to actively participate
through mechanisms such as co-design and co-development in the design and
development of social service models In this respect individuals are increasingly
knowledgeable about their needs and the contribution they can make as service
recipients to aligning social services with demand
41
Individuals play a crucial role in social innovation in both the planning and the delivery
phase They can co-develop service delivery models and assess the quality and
outcomes of the social services
ICTs can contribute to reshaping the ldquoprovider-recipientsrdquo paradigm in the social services
management and delivery model creating new social and economic values that can
counterbalance the decrease in resources The availability of clear trackable and
controlled information empowers individuals increases their awareness and their ability
to participate in the decision-making process Beneficiaries are better able to manage
their own care through the use of innovative platforms and web and mobile devices and
they are in fact becoming increasingly accustomed to these technologies
c) Economic inter-connectedness
International trade and capital flows call for a new way to identify and measure ldquovaluerdquo
In particular social benefits delivery across different Countries or regional systems can
produce overlaps and hamper efficiency and effectiveness when not managed
comprehensively The approach taken must consider all levels of delivery (local national
European) and needs to conceptualize the user in a global and inter-connected socio-
economic system
ICTs make it possible to take a lsquoclient pathwayrsquo approach which puts the beneficiaryrsquos
needs at the centre They improve strategic planning and systems integrity by sharing
information between different agencies Data analytics enable a better understanding of
service usage patterns system outcomes and resources available so they can be
targeted more efficiently and fraud or errors can be detected and countered
The new social value created must be analysed and understood through a common
approach so that it can be distributed fairly among the stakeholders involved
d) Demographic and urbanisation trends
The ageing population in Europe poses new challenges for healthcare welfare and
pension systems At the same time young people will have to be integrated into the
labour market and socially included Migration flows add to the challenge to promote an
inclusive society Moreover it is expected that by 2030 two thirds of the worldrsquos
population will live in cities creating more opportunities for social and economic
development for sustainable living but also increasing pressure on infrastructures and
social resources
Structural interventions are the main instruments to address these socio-demographic
megatrends Current social service systems can only expand to cope with the increasing
demand through a greater use of technologies These allow personalized support enable
independent living at home or in care facilities and help meet savings targets The
widespread use of the internet and of mobile computing devices for example allows
people to help themselves and also fulfils peoplesrsquo expectations in an always-on world
New technologies foster flexibility offer new collaborative working opportunities in
service delivery allow beneficiaries to play a more active role in the design and delivery
of services and make social services more affordable
The cases analysed show that ICTs have helped promote social innovation and social
investment They have also enabled the implementation of new approaches to service
management and delivery In particular ICT tools have been key success factors for
Integrating services We can conclude from our analysis that there is increasing
awareness of the need to integrate human resources and social services in order
to produce more effective solutions to many of the societal challenges For
example the INPS initiative integrated various systems and service models to
provide a single point of customer service through the implementation of a multi-
42
channel approach managed exclusively digitally This innovation in the service
delivery model reduces administrative costs and increases efficiency by
eliminating duplication in processes such as client authentication and verification
which is supported by the automation of these processes INPS also highlights
the need to further improve technological tools in order to expand the portfolio of
services eg by integrating mobile devices into the service model in order to
reach the overall target population PES is another good example of how an
administration (Dutch) can provide users with more effective services by
eliminating barriers to access and offering a more holistic and client-centric
approach This brings together different services to address critical employment-
related needs and builds a real-time labour market place enhancing the match
between labour demand and offer EKSOTE focuses on a new integrated
approach the aim of which is to centralise the allocation of resources on the basis
of the populationrsquos needs and to facilitate the access to services and the
transparency of the information management system particularly for older people
and long-term care patients Its holistic approach helped in the coordination of
welfare and social service public providers Finally TDP strengthens preventive
care beyond traditional hospital-based treatments and promotes full integration of
healthcare services rather than stand-alone or vertical services This approach
has resulted in significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of services
Public Private Partnership Models Our analysis shows that PPPs can lead to
cost efficiencies and help to cope with the need to reduce intervention by the
public sector The result is a better focus on core service components and greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment In the PASS experience a
needs-driven approach was implemented this approach provided new public
value re-allocation giving systematic information to agencies and operators
working with the homeless It led to greater efficiency while maintaining high
quality service delivery The ACTION initiative shows how a technology-based
home care service developed by a public-private partnership can leverage on the
use of ICTs and help older people live independently by empowering them
(through training and expert support) and their family carers It has been
successful in getting older people and their family carers to actively participate in
the initiative Little Bird is another example of a publicprivate partnership
which has reallocated the place of care to the family environment It has
generated benefits for both children and parents by establishing an interactive
process which maps the entire range of administrative functions involved in the
allocation of childcare services In addition the government and the private
entities involved have obtained significant cost savings on service provision
Enhancing accountability the effectiveness of protection system services can
be enhanced by strengthening financial and accounting systems in order to better
detect fraud and address inefficiencies CBSS has fully integrated the workflows of
around 3000 social security national institutions making the whole process
available online This provided single and fast access to all social services and
benefits for customers as well as infrastructure and systems to the involved
organisations which increased agility and data transparency One of the main
lessons learned in SDW relates to accountability it developed an integrated
electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social sector which
allowed social security offices access to all the information needed to calculate all
social security contributions This is used for tracking procedures and to avoid
irregularities
e) Case management
We found that services tailored to and assessed against the changing needs of clients
and care givers increases the cost-effectiveness of service management and delivery
process This approach safeguards the overall sustainability of the service in the mid to
43
long-term W2W and Pocircle Emploi focus on profiling capabilities and the expectations of
the unemployed They customize their support services to match job demands and
supply with surprising results in terms of labour inclusion and reduction in the
unemployment rate A Book for a Roof shows that the individualised management of
care initiatives has found new ways of dealing with homelessness It uses cultural
interventions and focuses on enhancing peoplersquos skills and the use of the internet as an
inclusive environment This approach has increased the motivation of homeless people to
be included in society
512 ICTs contribute establishing more effective and accessible services
This section focuses on the capacity of ICTs to enhance productivity in the care sector
achieve cost savings increase the overall quality of the services from the point of view of
the recipients and build a single-point of access to multiple services
ICTs can improve social service management and delivery models provide new or better
answers to social protection system challenges and needs of individuals establish new
relationships and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders Thus they can contribute
significantly to delivering the reforms needed for the modernisation of social protection
systems
ICTs have been used as enablers of new public management approaches They can
promote pluralistic models of public service provision delivered by business the non-
profit sector and government actors working together increasing the proximity of
services providers to citizens In this respect the cases analysed have revealed a
growing emphasis on the importance of cost freedom of choice and quality of service
provision Government is no longer considered to be the only provider but is instead
engaged in controlling and financing services through the separation of the political
decision-making processes from the management side This new perception of the role of
the public sector role allows services to be delivered by partnerships made up of a range
of public and private actors As a result there is a need for more articulated forms of
cooperation and coordination than inter-agency systems
From the cross-case analysis we can deduce that ICTs contribute to the modernisation
of the social protection system because they allow
More productive care services and cost saving The cases analysed provide
evidence that ICT-enabled social innovation takes the traditional concept of
innovation ndash ie innovation improves productivity and in turn leads to economic
growth (in terms of GDP) ndash one step further They expand this paradigm to a
more complex development model which becomes crucial especially when
considering all the negative externalities (eg unemployment environmental
risks social exclusion etc) that characterise the current development models
The analysed development model can be seen as a form of economic and social
development which implies the sustainable use of all resources Sustainability
seems to be achieved by applying business principles to develop solutions to
social problems and social demands In this framework ICTs have led to the
creation of new jobs and improved the inclusion of marginalized categories of the
population in a virtuous and sustainable socio-economic circle They have enabled
social investments and social innovation to realise their full potential producing a
considerable mid- to long-term impact on society as a whole The cost savings
made in service provision is also crucial if we measure the contribution of social
and health care services to wellbeing These cost savings contribute to increasing
the portfolio of services or improving quality of services which as a result answer
peoplersquos needs better and decrease the burden of social services on tax payers
W2W part of the UK Welfare-to-Work programme was implemented by the
Polish public sector (Polish Government of Malopolska Region) as part of their
employment services It provides good evidence of the potential of ICT to enable
44
the development of a new cooperation model between public labour services
social support institutions non-governmental organizations and non-public
operators The programme aims to design and test outsourcing employment
(back-to-work) services with an individualized and thus more effective approach
to engaging the unemployed This profiling approach has increased the efficiency
of public spending as payments are only made when specific outcomes are
achieved (payment by results) The platform tested by the regional government
of the Malopolska (Cracow) Region serves as a new model for engaging the long-
term unemployed it includes all the information needed to better profile the
unemployed and fill the gap between job demand and workforce Specific
attention is paid to the long-term unemployed for whom the mechanism allocates
more resources in recognition of the greater difficulties faced when trying to re-
enter the job market Different activities are carried out to upgrade the
candidatesrsquo profiles in order to make them more ldquoattractiverdquo for employers The
mechanisms used to monitor and control the success of the activities upon which
payments to actors are based is enabled by ICT tools SDW has also developed
an integrated electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social
sector It aims to make available all the information needed by the social security
offices to calculate all social security contributions This significant ICT-driven
change resulted in a radical transformation paper data exchange was eliminated
and replaced by direct electronic data flows The burden on the administration
was reduced and so was the opportunity for fraud Coordination between services
increased benefiting both citizens and the publicprivate institutions The strategy
focused on digital solutions as a means of increasing service capacity and value
for money through greater efficiency cooperation and knowledge sharing It
enabled communities families and individuals to contribute to the generation of
societal wellbeing Another example is provided by the TDP experience which
showed the large potential benefits related to the cost effectiveness of the care
service delivery process However due to actual reductions in the number of beds
in care homes closure of hospital wards and other not always implemented
service adjustments these efficiency gains did not result in cash savings
Nevertheless based on the lessons learned through the TDP experience a new 3
year Technology-Enabled Care Programme costing pound30m was launched across
Scotland in 2014 This programme aimed to broaden outcomes for individuals in
homes or community settings through the application of technology as an integral
part of quality cost-effective care and support
Enhancing the quality of care The cases analysed showed how ICTs can
contribute to higher quality of service provision They enhance the quality of life
of care recipients improving their health-related quality of life and their social
participation their self-esteem and empower them with better access to services
and multi-channelling approaches They also enhance the quality of life of
relatives and care givers enabling them to reduce the burden of care and
allowing them to reconcile care and work Thus they make social care closer to
the individualrsquos life conditions Finally they also have a positive impact on the
quality of services by facilitating information sharing allowing the use of data
analytics to customise the service delivered and to enhance knowledge skills and
competences In EKSOTE ICTs made an important contribution to the process of
integration of the public and private organizations involved in social care services
for the older population in a functional cost effective and user-oriented
approach The initiative took a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and prevention
approach to the care of older people at home giving them physical psychological
and sociocultural assistance The approach ensures that citizens have equal
access to social and health care services across the boundaries of municipalities
ICT made this initiative possible by integrating information across private and
public organizations along with the care service delivery process As a result the
criteria used to measure and assess needs has been standardised so that all
customers are treated equally in the assessment process This has allowed the
45
centralization of service needs assessment for the whole area by means of an
agile business process development approach This more efficient and
standardized process has given clients in the whole area better services and fairer
access to them Another good example of enhanced quality of care is ACTION
This initiative included remote provision of dedicated information and education
programmes which strengthen ability of older people and their relatives to care
for themselves and cope with the issues that typically arise for frail elderly
people Family carers received on-demand support through ICTs from local
service centres staffed with qualified professionals ICTs also supported
networking and mutual exchange between service users and facilitated the
sharing of information education and support to older people and their family
carers As a direct result the family carers felt more competent and secure in
their caring role and older people gained access to some of the opportunities
offered by todayrsquos information society In addition the service enhanced the
social inclusion of frail older people and their carers traditionally excluded from
the benefits of ICT and helped them gain more overall control over their own
lives enriching the caring relationship Finally professional carers experienced
improved job satisfaction and municipalities benefited from a more effective use
of available resources This was due to the multi-channel approach used to deliver
services which increased quality and led to a more efficient use of staffrsquos time In
the BSA initiative the integration between health and social care departments
was facilitated by the use of ICT through new approaches to service delivery
(such as telemonitoring and teleassistance) This shift from hospital-based or
residential assistance to forms of support at home resulted in considerable cost
reductions It increased the quality of life of both recipients and care givers and
gave rise to a more cost-effective model The change in citizensrsquo perceptions of
how public and private organizations should operate and contribute to wellbeing
had a great cultural impact which contributed to wellbeing promoting
commitment and reducing the digital divide in the district Another initiative
Little Bird addressed familiesrsquo needs to find a childcare service by optimising the
search facility on an ICT platform and providing organizational support to
childcare facilities By seeking to optimize the use of resources for both the
demand and supply side this ICT-based interactive process succeeded in mapping
the entire range of administrative functions used for the allocation of childcare
services This unique package of solutions offers advantages for parents who can
check online and in real-time all childcare services and availabilities From the
providersrsquo point of view the system allows them to predict the demand for their
services Finally public administrations also benefit from having an overview of
spare capacity or surplus demand in the childcare sector allowing them to better
tailor future policies The initiative offers a technical solution that allows more
integrated and cost-effective management of childcare services both public and
private This has contributed greatly to reducing externalities such as the child
care burden for families It has allowed them to increase their productivity and
achieve a better balance between family life work life and child care A book for
a roof finally shows how ICT can play a significant role in setting up a radically
new match between cultural investment and social need The use of ICT for
personal file management and profiling of competences and the use of internet as
an inclusive environment to involve homeless people enhancing their motivation
and increasing their chances of getting a job radically changed the existing
approach to homelessness problems It has therefore led to a paradigm shift in
the provision of social assistance services to the homeless
The set-up of one-stop-shop models Many of the cases analysed introduce
organizational models in which service users are provided with a single entry point
into social protection systems This simplifies organisation enhances service
delivery and boosts the uptake of services In many cases new models of service
provision have been developed which provide more accessible and user-friendly
information They improve the coordination among different levels of government
46
and reduce greatly the administrative burden on customers and providers We
identified several models from fully integrated and physically co-located services
to virtual information portals or frontlines of complex single agencies to umbrella
structures covering several agencies In some cases a single agency was created
to implement a ldquoone-stop shoprdquo offering a wide portfolio of services to its
customers for example INPS This organisation aims to optimise resources for
the entire portfolio of services (including social benefits and pensions) through
digital channels (amongst others the ldquocontact centrerdquo) It developed a completely
new service delivery model which allowed ldquoone shop stoprdquo access to services and
the continuous tracking and monitoring of ongoing service requests The initiative
produced positive outcomes for the Italian population as whole thanks to a
reduction in the payment of undue benefits and the increased transparency and
accountability of the overall system which allows requests and services to be
tracked With respect to public administration effectiveness the digitalisation of
services through INPS allowed the integration of initiatives with other public
operators in the welfare sector and with private intermediaries which avoided
overlaps and helped to optimize the use of public resources for the benefit of the
citizens INPS decreased the workload and made savings of around 1000 FTEs
thereby reducing the public administrationrsquos spending In other cases more
complex structures have been introduced for instance when the one-stop-shop
operates on top of partner organizations Here the aim is to maximize the
convenience also for clients of all other partners by integrating services eg
through intra-governmental partnerships This is the case of EESTIEE and CBSS
In EESTIEE ICTs have been used to build Estoniarsquos information gateway This
complex one-stop-shop mechanism for the provision of online procedures and
information has also fostered technical collaboration between different authorities
ICTs played a key role in the promotion of an extensive digitalisation of public
procedures and had a profound impact on Estoniarsquos operational and administrative
model It also changed the way business was promoted and supported As a
result users gained greater access and the system achieved greater efficiency
Transaction costs and duplication were reduced for citizens providers and
government alike ICTs changed the relationships between government and
citizens and other relevant stakeholders and led to the digital transformation of
public services They also transformed the way services were delivered The CBSS
case helps us understand how the introduction of a one-stop shop to implement
electronic service delivery can lead to a structural reform process In this
particular case ICTs transformed the delivery of social security services by
initiating a business reengineering process within and across all the 3000
organizations involved in the Belgian social security system At the same time
back-office functions were automatized significantly and this reduced the
duplication of information which was significant because of the sheer number of
social security actors The new ICT-based system significantly increased the re-
use of information and made it possible to send responses to beneficiaries and
civil servants automatically This led to a considerable simplification of procedures
and introduced a new more integrated and personalised way of communicating
with citizens and companies which is better aligned with the needs of the final
users
In a more specific field ndash that of unemployment ndash two other one-stop-shop approaches
provide good evidence on how ICTs can contribute to the modernisation of social
protection systems Pocircle Emploi and PES
Pocircle Emploi shows that by placing innovation at the centre of the reform of social
services structural improvements and sustainable outcomes can be achieved This
initiative fully digitalised the support services offered to jobseekers in order to bring them
closer to the labour market Pocircle Emploi improved its web-platform and developed free
online services for the matching of CVs and job offers e-counselling e-training etc
47
that can be accessed by any jobseeker or enterprise The impact achieved in terms of
facilitating access and take-up of employment services and meeting job-seekers
expectations and needs has been remarkable ICTs played a crucial role in this initiative
It developed a platform capable of providing a centralised and secure database of
unemployment information and it became an aggregator of labour market policies and
initiatives The Pocircle Emploi website is now the leading job site in France in terms of
number of users Its success is the reason for the subsequent launch of an ambitious
policy around big data for policy support
In the PES case ICTs have also played a vital role especially in targeting and identifying
final beneficiaries more effectively They have increased the value of employment-related
interventions and trust in government ICTs have led to more inclusive labour markets
and fostered self-employment especially via job market intermediaries They support
social inclusion employment and more general civil engagement activities which target
disadvantaged groups eg the disabled young people and people at risk of poverty and
social exclusion The one-stop shop developed in PES takes a revolutionary approach It
encourages more individuals to actively participate in the labour market and interact with
the government online by giving them the opportunity to use multiple delivery channels
and at times more convenient for them In this case ICTs have brought key benefits to
all stakeholders involved in public employment services and social services provision by
introducing a new optimised online system 90 of the services are delivered via digital
means and through digital interaction In this Dutch initiative digital platforms have
transformed many of the traditional interactions addressing the needs of job seekers
the young the disabled unemployed and employersrsquo requirements and especially setting
up partnerships with municipalities and empowering other social services
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success
Our cross-case analysis identified many innovation elements as key factors which could
in principle determine the achievement of relevant results and therefore the overall
success of an initiative These are briefly explained in this section
521 Active involvement of beneficiaries improves services delivery
Active involvement of beneficiaries and end users is crucial not only during the design
and implementation phases of the initiative but also in the continuous improvement of
the services delivered Mechanisms have been implemented for discussing and
monitoring results and for capturing information on customeruser satisfaction which
allow service providers to better address the needs of users In order to ensure easy
accessibility and usability of services complementary services and training programmes
have been provided These ensure that less technologically advanced users can reap the
benefits from the new service provision A good example is EESTIEE which built an
open process of co-creation and a collaborative innovation network between public
agencies and beneficiaries in an extensive reshaping of the relationships between
community and institutions TDP committed its national health system stakeholders to
rigorous collaboration which caused a fundamental change in their relationships CBSS is
another example of the involvement of beneficiaries which allowed both cross-sectoral
integration between public and private institutions and actors and vertical integration
among national regional and local administrations In terms of civil society
engagement Little Bird involved parents families and providers in the co-design
development and fine tuning of the solution it offered W2W used ICTs to redesign
employment policies and services provision with the cooperation of operators the
information they provided and their interaction with job seekers A similar approach was
followed by Pocircle Emploi which centralised unemployment information with secure
access aggregating and matching labour market supply and demand while supporting
beneficiaries with guided tutoring activity
48
522 Partnership and commitment at different levels are key
Another element of success across the initiatives analysed has been the involvement of
stakeholders representing different social needs and roles Their contribution of
knowledge information experience and resources of different kinds and from different
sources has allowed the definition of innovative solutions The engagement of
stakeholders at different levels was achieved not only because they were committed to
the implementation of the activities but also because it was in some cases the basis for
joint financing of the initiative itself The type of stakeholders identified in the cases
studied included beneficiaries (eg employed and unemployed people older people the
disabled the homeless etc) carers and families private and public service providers
(eg public authorities labour agencies libraries labour market consultants etc)
innovators and researchers (eg universities entrepreneurs and other private service
developers) health and social care professionals trainers and teachers non-profit
organisations (eg carer and patient organisations volunteer organisations trade
associations unions etc) and volunteers A very good example of commitment between
stakeholders at different levels is the INPS initiative which built a new model of service
delivery based on the synergies of different operators This led to a disruptive change in
service delivery through a multi-channel approach where all kinds of stakeholders
played a role including beneficiaries intermediaries and public institutions ACTION
benefitted from the close cooperation between service recipients developers and the
municipality which was of crucial importance for the initial implementation of the service
as well as for the later expansion of the ICT-based intervention which targeted clients
and their families at home PES created a real time labour market which benefitted from
the partnership between job seekers private providers and labour agencies at different
levels contributing to a fundamental change to the traditional services delivery EKSOTE
used the organizational integration of the providers to build a common access point for
users Finally BSA was made possible by cross-sectoral cooperation between social and
health care sectors providers and between providers recipients and caregivers
523 Developing a policy framework to support sustainability is needed
Political commitment andor a policy and regulatory context conducive to the
development and use of ICTs in social services are important enabling factors they
facilitate the success of the initiative and increase its chances of becoming sustainable
In most of the cases analysed policy programmes provided medium- to long-term
funding for the implementation of the initiatives This encouraged the creation of lasting
partnerships accelerated the decision-making process and facilitated the scaling up of
the outcomes achieved TDP for example was able to provide evidence about the
significant potential benefits of a more cost-effective care service delivery process
thanks to the Scottish Governmentrsquos commitment and financing in conjunction with the
National Health care system in Scotland In addition the adoption of a 3 year pound30m
Scotland-wide programme to support a new Technology-Enabled Care Programme
supported further development based on the lessons learned in the TDP experience
W2W is another example of how political commitment coupled with a European policy
which provides funding opportunities allowed the launch of a pilot and helped to
mainstream the service tested Thanks to the commitment of the Central Government
which is considering the potential inclusion of W2W as a model in the forthcoming Labour
Act the service may be transferred to national level In SDW the Danish Government
the local government and the Danish regions accelerated the digital transformation of
some core services in the healthcare sector and identified a number of projects and
initiatives for wider implementation This was facilitated by the national policy framework
in place Finally A book for a roof was supported politically and financially by the EIFL
Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and subsequent contributions from
various public institutions like the Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) and the Zagreb City
Council
49
524 Simplification and automation facilitate access to services
Generally the adoption of new technologies has simplified access to services and the
automation of processes which were traditionally based on a direct relationship between
providers and users The cases analysed contribute to the evidence base which shows
that the digital transformation of services has led to a reduction of the administrative
burden by offering more channels to deliver services increasing the transparency of
management flows and identifying needs and rights more clearly This transformation
also offers users greater autonomy in their use of the services It also reduces the time
and resources they need to engage with services and generally improves their
perceptions of service quality In the case of INPS this process resulted in a general
improvement of the image of public institutions among citizens cost savings and a more
diversified service offer by shifting resources to front-desk activities The adoption of
innovative technological solutions has been well received in the cases analysed partly
because it offers complementary services to support less technologically advanced users
and thus reduces the risk of digital exclusion This is the case of Pocircle Emploi EKSOTE
SDW and ACTION where the simplification and automation processes were implemented
together and intensive training was given to beneficiaries families and caregivers
Finally PASS shows how a transformative innovation which focused initially on the
simplification of procedures and automation processes radically modified the existing
mechanisms of services provision First the delivery of services to citizens was improved
by ensuring that resources were used effectively reducing duplication and fostering the
cooperation of different agencies to provide a continuum of care In turn this promoted
social responsibility pro-active participation and engagement in local communities
525 Electronic exchange of information enables service integration
The case studies show that a critical success factor for social innovation is the integration
of services at both management and delivery level The centralised provision of secure
information about beneficiary needs rights and benefits received has been crucial to
the integration between different providers This integration has allowed the
restructuring of procedures in a client-pathway approach and the provision of a single
entry point for users Shared information systems facilitate the interactions between
actors at various levels of governance (ie collaboration across multiple levels of
government) which in turn facilitate the cross-disciplinary management of different
social areas Information systems integration was generally achieved through the
implementation of progressive database integration coordinated case management and
exchange of data through multiple channels This process allows a more holistic and
client-centric approach that brings multiple services to bear on client needs In PASS
the information exchange between operators was enabled by a system that provided a
more sophisticated and up-to-date way of collecting key information about homeless
services and service take-up In TDP the sharing of information allowed providers to
mainstream telecare services in a number of local partnerships and to integrate health
and social care organisation in the services delivery INPS is a key example of how the
integration of information and its management resulted in huge and pervasive synergies
among public and private operators This led to a comprehensive redesign of service
management and provision in a more client-centred approach
526 Monitoring implementation is crucial to demonstrate results
Our analysis shows that the presence of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating
results has been an important element for the success of the initiatives analysed These
mechanisms permit the early identification of any concerns about the use of the services
Monitoring tools can check the direction taken during the implementation phase They
can also help to address emerging issues so that corrective measures can be taken to re-
calibrate the intervention to answer needs adequately Customer Relationship
Management tools measure customer satisfaction and capture usersrsquo perceptions with
50
respect to the services offered In some of the cases analysed some internal and
external evaluations were carried out The evidence provided highlighted the value of
collecting data on impacts and outcomes of the initiatives An interesting example in this
respect is W2W which developed a monitoring methodology It connected payments
made to labour agencies by the public authorities to outcomes This model also
implemented more effective and convincing dissemination activities which enhanced
awareness of the benefits of the initiative Furthermore in the BSA case an ICT tool was
used by all professionals and social workers to monitor in real time whether activities
programmed for each beneficiary actually took place This tool was also useful for the
payment system as external providers could use it to issue their bills to the BSA
organization Other relevant examples are CBSS PES and PASS CBSS developed tools
to provide statistics and other relevant information on the performance of the Social
Security system in a more comprehensive centralized way PES launched a methodology
to cluster and measure specific labour market data in order to carry out benchmarking
and ldquowhat ifrdquo analyses PASS developed tools to provide statistics to projects about
individual clients and the work of the project as a whole helping the future service
development plan
53 Evidence of impact on service integration
All the initiatives analysed have significant levels of integration of services
procedures sources of funding etc Most of them have achieved a high degree of
integration in many areas often both at the delivery system level and from an
organizational perspective for example the large scale initiatives such as INPS PES
PASS SDW BSA and TDP All these initiatives have had an impact on the service
management system from the identification of the various needs through production to
the channels of distribution In some cases there has been an impact on the promotion
and funding of the services Hence there is strong evidence for integration at many
different levels and in different areas
Even in those case studies where there seems to be less or no horizontal integration it is
possible to appreciate other forms or types of service integration This is particularly true
in EESTIEE Little Bird and Book for a Roof where the impact has been on a specific
aspect of service management eg administrative funding organizational or delivery
system Funding or administrative integration seems to be common in Continental
countries but less common in Central-Eastern welfare systems In contrast in the
Mediterranean Anglo-Saxon and Nordic groups of initiatives integration seems to
happen mostly at the organizational and delivery system levels
Nevertheless all the initiatives have achieved some level of integration by optimising
procedures and processes and in terms of the relationships with other operators and
stakeholders whose involvement has been redefined Most of the initiatives have
achieved inter-sectoral integration by improving coordination of the different operators
both private and public and a clearer definition of their respective roles in the production
and delivery of services especially through innovative public-private partnerships
Though the role played by the private sector in Mediterranean and Continental welfare
systems is not traditionally very proactive we found most cases of inter-sectoral
integration among these groups of countries For instance private operators participate
strongly and actively in the new service delivery models of INPS BSA Pocircle Emploi and
CBSS The role of private operators is crucial even when the initiative is driven mainly by
the public sector Similarly among the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries initiatives
private organisations (both for profit and not-for-profit) are strongly involved In these
cases (eg TDP and PASS) however they play a much more proactive role in service
design W2W the Polish case which adopted a British experience also falls into this
group
51
In the integration process ICTs are clearly an enabling factor which helps to leverage
the various types of information collected provide more targeted answers to the actual
needs of citizens and support the overall governance of the social services sector The
initiatives analysed show that the use of ICTs can enable intermediary operators social
workers and formal carers to play a central andor leading role thus contributing to
greater involvement of citizens in social services management The role of ICTs as
enabling factor was observed in nearly all the initiatives analysed where thanks to ICTs
volunteers and informal carers are playing a more important role regardless of the
welfare model in which the initiatives take place This suggests that it is a common trait
of all social innovation processes
An overview of the main social innovation elements identified in the 14 cases is
presented in Table 6 This table also shows the targeted beneficiaries and the main type
of integration achieved or pursued for each of the initiatives selected
52
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
A Book for a Roof (Croatia) Homeless people Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production A Book for a Roof invested in the employability and inclusion of the homeless by enhancing their skills improving their self-image and helping them build
self-confidence
Funding A Book for a Roof benefitted from an initial grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and built a
partnership with 8 other partners including the Zagreb Council which allowed gaining financial and operational support
ACTION (Sweden) Family carers and the older people
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production ACTION is a need-driven outcome-oriented production approach which developed a new service delivery system to support frail older people and their carers in their own homes with ICTs
Delivery system The initiative allowed a change in the delivery of services using ICTs to support clients in their families and homes
BSA (Spain) All social andor healthcare services recipients within the BSA territory
Public value allocationor reallocation Badalona City Council triggered the integration of health and social departments and sectors in the Badalona area using a userpatient-centric approach
Service Delivery BSA achieved the full integration of health and social care departments organizational structures service delivery models and funding schemes through an Integrated Care Plan which puts patient and users at the centre of the service production process It is a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and social services delivery
CBSS (Belgium) Social security institutions citizens companies intermediaries
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks The combination of back-office integration and ePortal solution developed through close collaboration among the about 3000 social security institutions in Belgium allowed both cross-sectorial
integration between public and private institutions and vertical integration of national-regional-local administrations
Organizational CBSS fostered an intensive collaboration among different operators and led to the development of a network for electronic information exchange addressing social security service delivery
EESTIEE (Estonia) Citizens foreigners national agencies
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks EESTIEE set up a collaborative innovation network between public agencies and private operators providing information assisting citizens and reshaping the relationships between community and institutions
Administrative EESTIEE fostered a huge administrative and organizational redesign of the public service delivery model and provided users with a unique access point
EKSOTE (Finland) Older people and long-term care patients welfare and social service public providers
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production EKSOTE launched a new need-driven integrated approach which facilitates access to services and increases the transparency of the information management system
Organizational The initiative enabled the organisational integration of the providers and provided a common access point for clients
INPS (Italy) Unions intermediaries employment agencies healthcare professionals and Local Health Units (ASL) municipalities regions citizens
Public value allocationor reallocation The process started with a shift towards a need drivenoutcome oriented service production but led to a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Delivery system The initiative led to a complete redesign of the production process (organisational integration) and structural changes to the delivery system
53
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
Little Bird (Germany) Children and parents Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Little Bird promotes engagement in civil society parents and providers together with other relevant actors are involved in a collaborative innovation network to improve childcare facilities management
Delivery system Little Bird led to a new organizational support that provides childcare social service delivery process tackling the challenge of optimizing the use of resources while supporting both the parents and the municipalities
PASS (Ireland) Homeless people homeless agencies
Public value allocationor reallocation PASS was a revolutionary need-driven outcome-oriented production approach in which outcomes are intended to meet the needs of society or specific groups in society in a sustainable way It led to new public value re-allocation providing systematic information to agencies and operators in the field of homelessness allowing them to better plan and act
Organizational The initiative gave rise to a new organizational model involving public and private operators in the field and redesigned the services production process
PES (Netherlands) Job seekers (with focus also on disabled people) employers people on benefits
Need-drivenoutcome oriented production The PES NL reform is a need-driven ICT enabled initiative implementing the employee insurance scheme addressing unemployment workersrsquo rights maternity and sickness coverage
Organizational PES NL created a real time labour market place improving the matching between labour demand and offer through a new organizational channel
Pocircle Emploi (France) The unemployed job seekers public employment service organisations
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Pocircle Emploi developed a centralised and secure information system for unemployment data in order to become an aggregator of labour market players policies and initiatives
Delivery system Pocircle Emploi allowed extensive data collection and interchange among different operators public and private delivering a new approach for job matching
SWD (Denmark) Welfare benefit recipients
mainly the older people social and health services and education recipients
Public value allocation or reallocation
The strategy focused on digital solutions and means to rethink the service production process and increase service strategy to produce value for money and a better allocation within communities families and among individual with needs
Organisational
The Danish Strategy for Digital Welfare modernised public service production to ensure a more efficient and effective provision of public sector services by accelerating the take-up of ICT in frontline public services
TDP (Scotland) Older people in Scotland suffering from conditions like chronic diseases cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
Public value allocationor reallocation The TDP was a national government initiative implemented in rigorous collaboration with the Scottish national health system which developed an integrated care approach with its own funds and resources It provided a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Organizational The TDP led to structural changes in the entire health care system of Scotland both in terms of organization and funding sources
W2W (Poland) Employment agencies the unemployed
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Express Train to Employment used ICTs to redesign the employment policies and services provision in an integrated way with the cooperation of institutions private operators and job seekers
Organizational Express Train to Employment used ICTs used ICT to enable PPP (public-private partnership) through a technological platform where all the actors could share information update data and co-design unemployed services parameters
Source Internal IESI elaboration
54
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives
541 General overview
Many of the 14 initiatives analysed relate to the key SIP objectives in that that they
often have an impact on the modernisation of social protection system through the
integration of service delivery Some examples are INPS BSA ACTION and Pocircle
Emploi Our analysis suggests that delivery of social protection systems is the main area
of modernisation and that it is where most disruptive innovations are found This is
apparent in the initiatives from the Mediterranean and Continental welfare models where
the public sector has played a central role in service management and delivery However
this role has become unsustainable because of the need to reduce public spending and
the increasing complexity of service demand The Continental modelrsquos centralized
approach to service delivery and the unbalanced way different social needs are met by
public services in the Mediterranean model are both issues which have been targeted by
recent welfare reforms Creative ways to cope with decreasing social spending and the
need to improve efficiency had to be found
Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries are focusing on social inclusion strategies Social
services initiatives in these countries are organised around the individual and hisher
capacity to continue contributing to society This is the case with TDP EKSOTE and
ACTION where social investments are directed at redesigning or reengineering services
in order to improve quality of life The Nordic welfare model rests on principles of
solidarity equality and a universalistic approach to welfare service provision Besides the
provision of fundamental social services to all citizens this model is characterized by
strong community involvement and the search for collaborative solutions to the needs of
very specific categories of people (in the above cases older people) Furthermore the
initiatives belonging to the Anglo-Saxon models though driven by a more liberal
approach to service delivery provide services for social categories which are excluded or
at risk of exclusion This is the case of TDP for older people in Scotland and PASS for the
homeless in Ireland W2W is also a good illustration of this in Poland where the
experience in the UK has been reproduced This shows that experiences from different
welfare models can be adapted and tailored to the circumstances in other welfare
models
Last but not least ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs
at critical moments during their lives seems to be a key target of the Central-Eastern
European initiatives we have analysed In these cases the post-communist approach to
social policies led to a situation in which people relied heavily on welfare policies although
the system was unable to respond adequately to the needs This may explain why
initiatives in this welfare model tend to be small scale or based on the involvement of the
private sector with the help of EU Funds For example of A Book for a Roof targets the
homeless and W2W the unemployed as mentioned above Further initiatives belonging
to the Continental welfare model like CBSS and Little Bird seem to focus mainly on the
needs of people in critical moments in their lives However these have been developed in
the wider context of social investment policies which aim to address wider ranging
problems such as childcare throughout Germany and social security in Belgium
Table 7 below provides an overview of the relationships between the initiatives and the
main SIP objectives
55
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives
Contribution to SIP Objectives
Modernizing social protection systems Spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
Implementing active inclusion strategies Investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the labour market
Investing in individuals throughout their life Ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
A Book for a Roof (Croatia)
A book for a Roof combined employment information management and technology (ICT) training to bring homeless people into the labour market
A book for a Roof helps job seekers improve their skills and boosts their motivation through psycho-social support As a result social protection services are able to respond to homeless people at critical moments in their lives
ACTION (Sweden) ACTION allowed a new approach to services through telematics interventions at home promoting more inclusiveness of older people and their families
BSA (Spain) BSA consisted in a great innovation in the social protection system especially concerning health and social care services since it integrated the two aspects under a unique beneficiary-oriented approach producing savings and improving the quality of services
The main aim of BSArsquos Integrated Care Plan is to empower people especially the older people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at home It also helped improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers
BSArsquos integration initiative was triggered by the need to shift from the older paradigm in the delivery service model to a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of worsening of chronicity and other conditions and following the individuals throughout their entire life also thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as tele-monitoring and telecare
CBSS (Belgium) CBSS provided socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have reduced to a minimum the administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
CBSS fully integrated the work flows of 3000 social security institutions guaranteeing on-line management of the whole processes and a unique and fast access to all social rights and benefits
EESTIEE (Estonia) By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies EESTIEE led to the reshaping of the public model to produce and deliver services with a more effective and centralised approach
EKSOTE (Finland) EKSOTE led to the organizational integration of providers and a common access point for clients enabling a more adequate service provision
EKSOTE provided equal access to social and health care services to all citizens in its region of operation across the boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care processes according to which the same electronic patient record system is used in the health care centres and hospitals of all communities belonging to the organization
INPS (Italy) The process of computerization of services resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
The digitalisation of services changed the paradigm for the delivery service model which shifted towards a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to peoples changing needs
56
Source IESI internal elaboration
Little Bird (Germany)
Little Bird provided a safe and convenient solution in the region it operates in across the boundaries of municipalities for the search for allocation and management of childcare services
Little Bird facilitated equal access to early childhood education through an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services
PASS (Ireland) PASS allowed a better inclusion of homeless people redesigned the production process of services improving the integration opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of this category of fragile people
PASS allowed a better outcome-oriented service production which meets the needs of the homeless and is managed in a centralised and more integrated way
PES (Netherlands)
The initiative allowed to cluster information of the labour market at a macro-level and take into account each regionallocal labour market peculiarities producing more efficient results at all PES levels and better outcomes for job seekers
PES allowed to meet critical employment needs building a real time labour market place enhancing the matching between labour demand and offer
Pocircle Emploi (France)
Pocircle Emploi has established itself as coordinator of French initiatives intermediation and an aggregator of other market players enhancing the effectiveness of the employment support
Pocircle Emploi personalized the employment support services improving the job demand and offer matching and aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations employers or business organizations
SDW (Denmark) SDW accelerated the use of ICT and welfare technology in frontline public service delivery with concrete initiatives speeding up the use of efficient and effective digital and technological solutions in healthcare care for the elderly social services and education
TDP (Scotland) TDP improved the inclusion of older people and
their families investing in the capacity of people suffering from conditions like chronic disease cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
TDP produced a structural change in the entire
health care system of Scotland demonstrating how telecare could contribute to the safety and quality of life of older people while significantly reducing costs of health and social care
W2W (Poland) W2W improved the mechanisms to reduce unemployment rates achieve sustainable employment and established partnerships in order to identify synergies and effective and pervasive solutions
W2Wrsquos centralized management of information flows allowed categorizing the employment needs in order to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in the labour market
57
542 Impact on the modernisation of social protection systems
In order to assess how and to what extent the selected initiatives contribute to the
modernisation of welfare systems we have grouped and analysed them in relation to the
following three key areas of welfare
Social security and employment which includes social assistance social care
employment and employability
Social inclusion and participation which includes social inclusion social
housing civic engagement education and training and childcare
Active healthy ageing and care which includes integrated health and social
care prevention health promotion and rehabilitation independent living
a) Impact of the cases on social security and employment
Out of the 14 initiatives analysed 6 implemented changes in social security and
employment as shown in Table 8 below
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment
Initiatives Summary of impact
INPS (IT) PES (NL)
These two initiatives have transformed employment and the delivery of benefit services to those underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient manner (almost all the services are delivered using digital means) Their revolutionary approach allows more individuals to actively participate interact with the government online giving them the chance to use multiple delivery channels with more convenient timeframes
SDW (DK) CBSS (BE)
Thanks to ICTs CBSS and SDW have built a unique information management model which allows carrying out historical and prospective analyses and therefore improving policies and regulations
W2W (PL) Pocircle Emploi (FR)
W2W and Pocircle Emploi have developed innovative competences and job potential profiling tools based on the use of extensive information which allow better assessing actual needs and thus improving the matching between job seekers and employers
Source IESI internal elaboration
Social security and employment refers to the provision of social services and benefits to
support citizens who are unable to meet their most fundamental needs by themselves
This includes their ability to be active on the labour market and receiving a decent
income which allows them to preserve their dignity
The 6 initiatives that have an impact in this area are citizen-centric and propose radical
changes in the approach to social services design and delivery These are the two key
interrelated elements of a new and more sustainable welfare system These initiatives
trigger a review of the portfolio of services offered in order to adapt them to existing and
upcoming societal challenges and reduce public spending
This can be seen very clearly in the initiatives in the Mediterranean and Continental
welfare models where a trend towards more equitable treatment and more
publicprivate partnerships reveals an important cultural change Nevertheless the
initiatives implemented in the Anglo-Saxon group of countries also show a strong focus
on change for instance with the greater implementation of one-stop-shop approaches
Existing approaches to implementing new models of management of social security
services have been rethought in order to improve critical aspects of existing delivery
systems
58
The issues that these initiatives tackle include
The lack of a systematic and comprehensive vision in the relevant social
services legislation
The fragmentation of the actors and institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the regulation financing and delivery of services
The low level of technological innovation in the management of data and
relevant information
The lack of integration between the institutional players in charge of providing
social services and the beneficiaries
The demand for better quality which requires services to bring true added-
value
Reshaping the way services to citizens are produced managed and distributed is
common to all these initiatives It involves extensive integration mainly within public
administrations but also with private operators and intermediaries Most initiatives in this
cluster are led by public sector actors and focus on a thorough rethinking of the delivery
model which leads to a reengineering of the services alongside a revision of the
governance model
The initiatives represent radicaltransformative innovations which by leveraging on ICTs
modify the existing mechanisms of services provision and lead to a paradigm shift that
reframes the nature of the specific problems to be addressed and their possible solutions
Most of the initiatives focus on changing the service provision paradigm to adopt a more
client-centric approach often through the use of one-stop-shops They all seek to
improve access to services distribute resources more fairly and reduce the
administrative burden on users of the service
In all these initiatives ICTs have contributed strongly to inter-sectoral integration They
foster collaboration between government and service delivery providers in the private or
non-for-profit sectors through the shared use of well-structured technological tools The
new model implemented by the initiatives is based on the development of client
pathways which aim to improve service access ensure greater accountability and
transparency in the system as a whole and allow citizens to have greater control over
information that concerns them
The new service delivery model allows one-stop shop access to services fosters the
modernisation of processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services
and allows the continuous tracking and monitoring of service demand In these cases
ICT-enabled social innovation can act as an enabling factor For example ICTs can help
us obtain a complete and more systematic understanding of social security needs and
support e-learning services Thus they can help to improve the employability of an
individual over time andor to improve the integration of the back offices of
organizations in charge of managing social benefits
In some cases ICTs play a game changing role as they enable the integration of
information from different sources which fulfils profiling needs much more accurately
Thus it is possible to customize the service delivered which optimizes both outcome and
citizen satisfaction By allowing better targeting and identifying beneficiaries more
effectively ICTs play a huge role in increasing the value of interventions and citizensrsquo
trust in government Furthermore ICT-based solutions also support social policy reforms
by promoting active inclusion in the labour market
b) Impact of the cases on social inclusion and participation
Another 4 initiatives out of our case selection focused on social inclusion and participation
as shown in Table 9 overleaf
59
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation
Initiative Summary of impact
Little Bird (DE)
PASS (IE)
Little Bird and PASS use ICTs to enhance the modernisation of
social services from several perspectives amongst others better synchronization of the public and private offer of services greater cost-effectiveness reduction of overbooking of services and at the same time reduction of the negative externalities affecting care givers due to the lack of solutions to reconcile family life social inclusion and wellbeing
A book for a roof (HR)
In A book for a roof ICT courses are used to provide homeless with a wider set of competences and to boost their self-esteem as well as to encourage take-up of available public social services The library created a Resource Centre in the shelter now staffed by homeless people The use of ICT allows focusing on the potential of homeless people and training them to become trainers for other people in need
EESTIEE (EE) In EESTIEE ICTs support citizens by enhancing their access to and use of information and services enabling self-help and reducing dependency from the state giving individuals access to both broader contacts and the local services to which they are entitled
Source IESI internal elaboration
The above social inclusion initiatives mainly target disadvantaged groups or people at risk
(eg the disabled people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in general) These
interventions aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to social inclusion by supporting
individuals They help disadvantaged people reach or maintain a higher level of social
inclusion and dignity while reducing the burden on caregivers In general the needs
addressed in this social policy area derive from a complex set of problems that require
the simultaneous provision of structural solutions and first-aid interventions cutting
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
The initiatives in this cluster offer a set of solutions based on a case-management
approach They focus on the provision of quality information and on helping all operators
involved (public and private) understand analyse and better answer the needs of
excluded people through the use of real-time information technology All the initiatives
analysed improve service delivery thanks to a shared information system This facilitates
the interaction of operators and citizens improves the efficiency of services through
more effective use of resources and less duplication of effort and facilitates the
cooperation of all operators who can work together better to provide a continuum of
care
ICT-enabled social innovations in these cases play several roles They enable services to
improve the cost-effectiveness of the collaboration and coordination of the public and
private actors involved in service delivery processes (in these initiatives those
stakeholders which are more aware of the needs of the vulnerable people play an
important role in partnerships) ICTs also act as game-changers by helping public and
private service providers understand the behaviour of people with needs This in turn
serves to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery
model Moreover ICTs provide stakeholders with new channels of effective
communication and new ways of interacting This also includes the beneficiaries which
increases their opportunities for social inclusion reduces the risk of isolation and
increases the opportunities to contribute to society ICT per se can also be a tool for
inclusion For example A Book for a Roof targets vulnerable people who are also
digitally excluded The lack of digital skills exacerbates existing social disadvantages
(Ellen J Helsper 2008) The initiative is structured around the strong belief that access to
computers the Internet and other forms of technology has a significant impact on these
peoplersquos chances of finding a job or building a social network
60
c) Impact of the cases on active and healthy ageing
The main focus of three of the cases we analysed was active and healthy ageing (see
Table 10 below)
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing
Initiative Summary of impact
TDP (Scotland) EKSOTE (FI) ACTION (SE)
In TDP EKSOTE and ACTION ICTs play a crucial role for monitoring activities (automatic data detention and information about health status) and for real time interactions with beneficiaries providing advisory services at home to prevent adverse events and unplanned hospitalizations The disruptive transformation of the care processes allows home care treatments for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF etc) and ageing patients in general Formal and informal care givers can benefit from using such innovations which promote self-management and empower users in the process of shifting the balance in terms of control and increasing the capacity to live independently at home
BSA (ES) In BSA ICTs allowed building the electronic record that gathers all the documents containing relevant information about the status and progress of a patient during the care process Thanks to the interoperability between information systems it eliminated the duplication of diagnostic tests The result is a tool for professionals which provides updated relevant information to guide them in the decision making process (it is also a useful database accessible from any location and care level) therefore promoting continuity of care and coordination between primary and specialised care IT also fosters the development of telemedicine and telecare services
Source IESI internal elaboration
Consideration of active and healthy ageing and healthcare is crucial in view of the
challenges posed by ageing societies to the current set-up of public services delivery The
IESI research has analysed the themes of ldquoIndependent living for older peoplerdquo
ldquoIntegrated health and social carerdquo and ldquoPrevention health promotion and rehabilitationrdquo
demonstrating the great potential ICT-enabled social innovation has in these fields
The three initiatives analysed here adopt new approaches to public services design and
implementation and follow the recent trends in the efforts made by Member States to
deal with growing societal challenges It has become increasingly difficult to match
service demand and supply adequately and there is constant pressure to achieve greater
cost-effectiveness reduce public expenditures for social services and improve
stakeholder participation in the service delivery process These new initiatives illustrate
the paradigm shift towards more proactive public interventions and social policies They
seem to confirm that the social innovation potential offered by the integration of services
plays an important role in reshaping social relationships and collaboration and in the
redesign of care processes In this context citizens and patients experience significant
changes in their roles and relationships with care professionals service providers care
givers etc
In these cases ICTs can drive the organizational transformation of service delivery The
main advantages of this transformation consist in the building of synergies among
services the avoidance of overlaps and the strengthening of inter-governmental and
inter-sectoral integration among the service providers These factors make management
systems more productive and service delivery processes more efficient ICTs help ensure
the overall sustainability of the service in the long term in line with the SIP objectives
which aim to promote active inclusion with significant savings in care services delivery
The impact on the care system and on care professionals is considerable because
integration can lead to the creation of new services which complement or substitute
existing ones Outcomes in terms of savings can be significant due to better alignment of
resources and needs and a redefinition of the role of public interventions and
professional care
61
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed
This section discusses the sustainability of the initiatives analysed and whether they can
be adopted in other contexts Although this discussion was not an explicit objective in the
analytical framework used for the cross-case analysis it is nevertheless related because
it takes a horizontal perspective on all the variables taken into account in our analysis
and the previous findings In fact the capacity of ICT to promote social innovation and
social investments can be measured in terms of the actual sustainability of an ICT
innovation and to what extent it can be scaled up in different contexts within the same
framework or in entirely new environments At the same time the contribution of ICT to
organizational change and to reshaping service design and delivery processes has a long-
term impact in light of the need to structurally reform social protection systems This
section therefore focuses particularly on the success factors that allow the transfer of
knowledge of the infrastructure and of the funding model to other contexts or to more
complex systems
We consider that our case studies show that the knowledge policies and solutions
developed in good practices can be promoted for wider development implementation and
transferability at a local national or European level Thus they can promote the
modernisation of social protection systems through funding policy leadership and by
fostering stronger cooperation among stakeholders Transferability refers to the potential
maximization of lessons learned from the experiences gained in a local setting or in a
pilot by implementing these experiences (or parts of them) in a wider context be it
geographical or organisational
All the cases analysed were selected for their potential sustainability and ease of wider
replication Nevertheless even though a case seemed to have good potential scalability
transferability always depends on a number of contextual variables which may affect the
actual chances of success in replicating the experience (eg funding political context
regulations etc)
Some of the cases analysed acknowledged this limitation and provided evidence of why
the potential for scaling up remained unexploited This seems to be the case of A Book
for a Roof where the need for resources and financial contributions from other library
networks or municipalities also at a European level was recognised as a barrier to
scaling up The lack of an effective policy at local regional national and EU level which
could push the adoption of ICT-based solutions in healthcare and finally the lack of
funding for large trials which could demonstrate the effectiveness of the services seemed
to be the main barriers to wider implementation of ACTION - even though the service
presented a high level of standardization and could be easily implemented in a wider
context and other EU Member States Only the Borarings municipality decided to make the
ACTION initiative part of its mainstream services for older citizens living at home and
their family carers Wider implementation by other municipalities did not follow mainly
because of the tension between the municipalities yearly budgets and the significant
long-term investment required Policy makers opted for cheaper quick-fix solutions over
services that implied waiting longer for returns An added difficulty is the tendency of
municipalities not to invest in prevention Our analysis shows that a barrier to the wider
implementation of the PASS initiative was its technology PASS relies on a new cloud
technology-based computing system which is not fully available outside Dublin Thus
further development and a specific data strategy would be needed for the initiative to be
replicated at national level or for it to be exported to other EU Member States Finally
PES also experienced difficulties as some of its target users were not sufficiently digitally
skilled or were illiterate and thus excluded from accessing services online (estimated to
be 10 of citizens) In this case the rigidity of the model and the lack of a multi-channel
approach which would allow direct contact or telephone assistance seemed to hinder the
transferability of the initiative It seems that a mix of physical and digital services may be
required as digital services do not allow the inclusion of those who lack digital skills
62
On the other hand some of the cases analysed have already been transferred or will be
scaled up We identified three main groups of successfully transferred practices
Scaling up and transferring activities This is the case of SDW and BSA SDW
scaled up to national level successful projects which had been tested at local level
Out of 25 projects 7 projects will be implemented nationally by 2017 Scaling up
BSA proved to have considerable potential since it allowed external professionals
to work within the integrated care system and private investments to flow in The
initiative mainly relied on the integration of the social and health care
departments This process has been consolidated in Catalonia There were plans
to scale this initiative up to national level as it had been identified and showcased
as a good practice by the Spanish government It could also be transferred to
other countries and has indeed been studied by other international institutions
(such as the University of Udine) The case of EESTIEE is somewhat different
Here there were no plans to develop further functionalities content andor
services in the future release of the gateway However the benefits reaped will be
used to include services from other fields (eg adding notification services in
cooperation with various institutions informing users about this service and
expanding entrepreneur-orientated functionalities) EKSOTE has been considered
a good practice by the Finnish government A law has been passed according to
which all districts in Finland will have to adopt this kind of service model by the
end of 2019 thus the initiative will be scaled up nationwide The piloting system
takes advantage of existing components in social and healthcare sector
organizations which do not require major investments or changes in the
architecture system The existing methodology makes it perfectly possible to
transfer the experience to other European contexts The transferability of some
initiatives has been indirectly confirmed by funding activities for example TDP
organised a number of knowledge dissemination activities and various knowledge
transfer events (conferences workshops etc) in the UK and Europe The
evaluation of the programme was also widely shared electronically It is one of the
good practices in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing for which Scotland was awarded 3 Star Reference Site status Evidence of
its transferability can be seen in the launch of two important programmes jointly
funded by the EC and the Scottish Government (United4Health and SmartCare)
which support people with long-term conditions living in Ayrshire Renfrewshire
and Lanarkshire The objective is to leverage telecare services in these local
communities and to transfer the experiences of Scottish telecare across the EU28
W2W transferred the British W2W experience to the Region of Malopolska where
the model is perfectly replicated The Polish Government is planning to expand the
project to other regions and has devised a new systematic intervention to re-
engineer the social welfare support to the long-term unemployed at a national
level based on the outcomes of W2W
Technology and structural transferability This was the case of Pocircle Emploi that
was scaled up by the agreement signed in December 2014 for 2015-2018 with
the Government and UNEDIC The scale up of the initiative was oriented to
enhance the opportunities offered by the portal in the direction of establishing
itself as the coordinator of French intermediation initiatives and as an aggregator
of other market players The CBSS experience also provides important lessons for
governments that are striving to improve services for the users and especially for
companies by adapting internal and external processes with the help of modern
technologies The CBSS systemrsquos architecture could evolve into a Pan-European
service andor be transferred to other European contexts thanks to its
compliance with international technological standards Little Bird was considered
good practice by another 25 German municipalities which are planning to
implement it Local administrations showed great interest in the initiative because
it helps make significant cost savings In addition all the modules of the solution
are closely integrated which makes it highly adaptable to local requirements Its
63
open software means that this project can be easily scaled up in other
communities cities and countries and evolve to a European level Another
relevant example of technology transferability is the case of INPS which takes
advantage of the ldquomobile erardquo Due to the decisive role that its ICT assets can
play within the Italian public sector the Italian Institute of Social Security (INPS)
is becoming a ldquohubrdquo for Italian institutions not only in employment services but
also in the overall social protection system INPS has invested significantly in ICT
infrastructure in the last decade in order to implement the INPS digitalisation of
services It is now in a position to lead the public inter-operability and information
exchange process The legal framework envisaged for the implementation of the
Public Connectivity System (SPC) which is one of the main pillars of the
implementation of the European Digital Agenda also contributed to this
64
6 Conclusions
61 Key results
611 General contribution from ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives
To sum up it is worth repeating that ICTs do make an important contribution especially
when combined with further elements that through the case studies and the cross-case
analysis have been identified as key drivers of successful ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives
The involvement of beneficiaries in all phases of an initiative (including design
implementation and follow-up) might be enabled by the use of ICTs and in turn it
contributes to exploiting one of the main potential attributes of ICTs ie to support the
development of new relational mechanisms As a consequence the building of
partnerships and stakeholder commitment at different levels (eg to implement or even
jointly finance an initiative) is crucial to take full advantage from the contribution offered
by ICTs especially when the public sector needs to implement a policy targeted to
different types of beneficiaries In particular political commitment and a certain ability to
shape broad policy frameworks are both conducive to the use and development of ICT in
social services The development of monitoring tools alongside an ICT-based innovation
to demonstrate results and facilitate transferability is a further key factor for making an
initiative successful
Moreover it is worth noticing that the contribution ICTs are able to offer is especially
strengthened by clear information exchange and multi-channel approaches This depends
on the fact that such approaches ndash as emerged from the different case studies analysed
ndash are a key enabler of integration ICTs facilitate the sharing of information and enable
the integration of services thus enhancing the impact of social services delivery
As detailed in presenting the case studies and the cross-case analysis it is possible to
appreciate that the contribution of ICTs to integration processes and therefore to the
improvements of social service delivery might assume different shapes
For instance ICTs create client pathways and focus on outcomes they enable a more
targeted and personalized approach that allows clients with complex needs to receive
coordinated services Moreover ICTs provide evidence of demonstrable improvements to
outcomes delivered
ICTs also allow greater coordination between different levels of government which is
essential to improving system integrity and reducing duplication and gaps in service
provision This contribution might have positive consequences also with regard to the
social service provider accountability When the latter is the public sector greater
accountability and transparency mean in turn a contribution in terms of their democratic
legitimacy establishing indeed a closer and trustworthy relationship between itself and
the citizens
In line with the mentioned improvement of the relationships between the public sector
and citizens a further contribution ICTs give to the simplification and an easier take-up
of services needs to be mentioned the consolidation of the one-stop-shopno-stop-shop
approach Through such a way to re-design the access to services users are provided
with a single entry point into social protection systems making of ICTs an important
medium for the institution-citizen relationship
By bringing together stakeholders from public private and not-for-profit sectors in formal
networks ICTs help to address complex social problems through coordinated local level
interventions including resource sharing and joint social investment strategies In other
words the potential of ICTs through partnership creation and network integration
allows offering clients seamless assistance and care
65
Overall ICTs play an important role in the modernization of social protection systems
enhancing social services quality and equal opportunityfair access ICTs are especially
effective with regard several dimensions ICTs can (i) support the process of social
services delivery reform by offering opportunities for open collaboration and
participation (ii) help to fully digitalise processes and improve payment mechanisms
which saves on operational costs and provides benefits (iii) increase the effectiveness of
interventions and reducing social services fragmentation and duplication across
organisations and countries (iv) make social services more proactive and closer to the
point of need by identifying and targeting beneficiaries effectively (v) provide a way of
increasing accountability while transforming and extending service delivery to the
underserved
612 ICT-enabled social innovation contribution to the implementation of the Social Investment Package objectives
The case studies and the cross-case analysis provide useful insights into the factors that
have been critical to an initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social
innovation They also show how these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the
Social Investment Package objectives
a) Modernizing social protection systems spending more effectively and
efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies or departments
many initiatives reshaped the public model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach (EESTIEE) In particular the exploitation of ICTs
resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the
social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
(INPS) The contribution ICTs give to the modernization of social protection system is
often and mainly related to their ability to reduce to a minimum the administrative
burden for citizens companies and civil servants (CBSS)
b) Implementing active inclusion strategies investing in peoples skills and
capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the
labour market
The combination of employment information management and ICT training allows the
redesigning of the production process of services the improvement of integration
opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of fragile people especially into the
labour market (A Book for a Roof W2W ACTION) The integration of services
facilitated by the use of ICTs aims to empower people especially homeless people older
people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at
home or to find job opportunities It also helped improve the quality of life of the
beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers Moreover the equal access to health
and social care services to all citizens in the region of operation across the boundaries of
municipalities directly contributes to strengthening the inclusiveness of social protection
systems and therefore to enhancing peoples opportunities to integrate in society
(EKSOTE TDP)
c) Investing in individuals throughout their life ensuring that social protection
systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
By recognising the importance of skills and active inclusion strategies through psycho-
social support many initiatives succeeded in boosting beneficiaries motivation which
66
responded to their needs at a critical moment in their lives (A Book for a Roof W2W
ACTION) The contribution offered by ICTs often consists of changing the paradigm for
the delivery service model which might shift towards a beneficiary-centric approach
reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to
peoples changing needs (INPS BSA CBSS) The ability to adapt to peoples needs is
achieved by ICTs through personalization of services especially important in the field of
employment support services where it contributes to improving job demand and supply
matching by aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations (Pocircle Emploi PES)
62 Policy implications
Findings from the analysis of case studies allowed us to draw some general policy
implications for policy making at local national and EU level A first set of policy
implications is related to the issue of welfare systems sustainability With regard to this
first dimension the aim is to spot some major social issues in which ICTs might offer an
important support without structural or wider reform attempts A second set of policy
implications is based on the fact that in order to take full advantage of the potential ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives have some contextual and complementary policy
initiatives are needed Finally a third set of policy implications mainly deals with the
needed administrative changes and the required financial support especially in view of a
more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social innovation potential
I Not only are ICTs enabling factors for the modernisation of social protection
systems they can also safeguard the sustainability of welfare systems
themselves
As some of the cases analysed seem to demonstrate for instance CBSS PASS SDW
and BSA ICTs contribute to solving the structural imbalance between emerging and
growing social needs (which require that services be implemented more effectively) and
the decreasing or limited financial resources available to do so
In particular the cross-case analysis shows that ICT-enabled social innovation can help
social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected
by different health and social conditions and require multiple services
Technological advances have made it possible to link information across
programme areas and to identify individuals with complex needs and hence target
them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used
to having access to information and services through web and mobile devices
New digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with
service providers across a range of industries including the social services and
more generally the welfare area
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour
market participation of all members of the working-age population A new wave of
welfare-to-work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments
trying to reduce demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from
finding sustained employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and
demand
Cope with budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to
widespread public sector austerity measures in many developed economies These
pressures mean that service integration and optimisation are becoming
increasingly attractive options for governments looking for higher cost
67
effectiveness in service delivery Allocating higher percentages of resources and
incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated
to the most effective and efficient initiatives They must be scaled up or
transferred to other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics
functionalities allow us to leverage the evidence collected and better allocate
resources on the basis of the specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information
regarding the policy interventions undertaken and its results This data can then
be shared in order to inform policy makers and support the decision making
process to develop or adapt future policies
II Technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for social innovation
and social investment to fully deliver on their promises
As shown in some of the cases ICTs are crucial but sometimes not sufficient to achieve
the expected benefits For ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to fully realise their
potential other enabling factors must come into play
Workforce development the empowerment of workers (eg in care) and job
seekers requires investment in their skills and competences They must also be
given new and flexible ways of participating in the labour market Employers and
public institutions must invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation
working groups They must also envisage staff co-location and develop joint
training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and fill any
skills gaps that may arise This also requires the creation of new roles and a
review of existing jobs in order to adapt them to the changing environment and
the evolving needs of the workforce (see ACTION INPS Digitalization of services
and Pocircle Emploi)
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third
sector providers should be promoted and the development of innovative
initiatives should be facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for
the integration of such practices into actual practices and for scaling up (see TDP
PES NL and EKSOTE)
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms for funding schemes
seem to be efficient in promoting coordinated interventions to address common
and shared social problems in an outcome-oriented approach Other schemes
such as ldquopersonal budgetsrdquo (sums of money allocated by a local authority to
service users to be spent on services to meet their needs) produce effective
incentives because they enable users and case managers to freely purchase the
desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they foster the creation
of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are closer to the
needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms have been implemented in
order to encourage integration and collaboration among different service providers
(see W2W and A Book for a Roof)
III ICTs development and implementation must be combined with re-
engineering of organizational structures so that they can cope with the
innovations This also requires finding resources eg the European
structural funds
Simplification of service procedures through an open-government approach the
increase in information and knowledge exchange and in openness and
transparency provide new opportunities for public administrations to offer user-
68
friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs and the administrative
burden The open government approach can encourage this transformation by
opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration for the design
production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and
decisions enhance transparency accountability and trust in government (see
EESTIEE Little Bird and PES)
Use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 period to
further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector National and regional
authorities are in charge of drafting their Partnership Contracts - Partnership
Agreement with the European Commission which form the basis for delivering ESI
funds These institutions can therefore play a proactive role in both the allocation
of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-financing
requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another (see W2W)
63 Future research
The case studies and the cross-case analysis have helped us identify a number of gaps
that future research could address More systematic collection and publication of
data on relevant initiatives are needed In order to gather as much information as
possible on the identified initiatives and to collect as many relevant opinions and points
of view that could add value to the information gathered through desk research the
research team interviewed relevant stakeholders for each of the selected initiatives
However even though the interviews made it possible to draft in-depth analysis reports
and allowed the research team to better understand the case studies getting in touch
with additional stakeholders would have been desirable Since information is often
difficult to find direct interactions with stakeholders can be the only way to access
relevant and important information on activities performed resources allocated
outcomes achieved barriers encountered and lessons learnt More efforts should go into
making the results of these initiatives public and data (eg on outcomes) should be
more systematically collected Another difficulty faced by the research team is the
breadth of the research field and the limited resources available for developing case
studies which are a time and resource-consuming exercise per se Indeed developing 14
case studies covering 14 different countries has been a challenging exercise which only
gives a snapshot on half the EU Member States In order to obtain a more solid evidence
base greater coverage of the different services and geographical areas would be
desirable This would enhance the validity of the findings in the cross-case analysis A
continuation of this research should perhaps focus on a specific area such as employment
or social inclusion Further initiatives could be identified in that selected area through
country studies each of which would target a given number of initiatives This could be
effectively achieved by involving key informants in the selected countries
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect the direction of future
research Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes
have also been recognised as part of a strategy in support of social policy innovation
initiatives and it could be interesting to explore these further since they could offer the
policy maker new organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business
models effectively contribute to social change
It is important to answer the question of whether social policy innovation strategies
especially those enabled by ICTs can be embedded in the policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other words it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox
69
At the same time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies
will not be the panacea for all welfare state challenges but rather one of the social
protection layers of future welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the
future of welfare systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as
supplementary minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits
schemes
Nevertheless social policy innovation initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an
important role represent an important means of modernising social protection systems
ICTs need to be used as part of a broader strategy designed and led by the public sector
which becomes an even more important actor and will also take on the task of
coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
Thus we suggest that a broader inventory of effective social policy innovation initiatives
should be compiled and researched This would help us answer some of the questions
that emerged from the IESI research and described in this report lsquohow can the public
sector ie the Member States pursue this ambitious taskrsquo lsquowhat kind of tools do
Member States need to harness a multi-layer welfare system of this kindrsquo and
especially lsquowhat type of knowledge do national and supranational policymakers need to
deal with such an important and complex responsibilityrsquo
To address these and others questions the JRC is considering establishing a permanent
online observatory and knowledge platform to monitor and transfer innovative practices
of social policy innovation This platform will focus on social services delivery mechanisms
and welfare governance models
To support this process further data collection and revision of the conceptual and
analytical framework underpinning the IESI research are needed This requires a broader
unit of analysis which can enrich the findings so far and gather and represent the main
features of what the EU Commission has labelled acutesocial policy innovationacute This will also
shape the future research that could become the backbone of a JRC Observatory on
Social Policy Innovation
70
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Bleses P and Seeleib-Kaiser M (2004) The Dual Transformation of the German
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Boeri T (2002) Meno pensioni piugrave welfare Il Mulino
Boeri T (2005) Are Labour Markets in the New Member States Sufficiently Flexible for
EMU The Journal of Banking and Finance
Boeri T (2006) Structural Reforms without Prejudices Oxford University Press
Boeri T and Van Ours J (2008) The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets
Princeton University Press
Bonoli G (2001) lsquoPolitical Institutions Veto Points and the Process of Welfare State
Adaptationrsquo in Pierson P (ed) The New Politics of the Welfare State Oxford
Oxford University Press (pp 238ndash64)
Bonoli G (2011) lsquoActive Labour Market Policy in a Changing Economic Contextrsquo in
Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment Oxford
Oxford University Press (pp 318ndash32)
Booz Allen (2005) Beyond e-Government ndash the worldrsquos most successful technology-
enabled transformations Study commissioned by the UK Presidency of the EU
Bouget D (2003) lsquoConvergence in the Social Welfare Systems in Europe From Goal to
Realityrsquo Social Policy and Administration 37(6) pp 674ndash93
Brandt T and T Schulten (2007) Liberalisation and privatization of public services and
the impact on labour relations A comparative view from six countries in the
postal hospital local public transport and electricity sectors WSI Duumlsseldorf
Brauer S (2014) The Development of Social Entrepreneurs in Germany Stepping
Stone for understanding their role in creating social inclusion Paper for the
Conference ldquoTowards Inclusive Employment and Welfare Systems Challenges for
a Social Europerdquo Berlin 9-10 October 2014
Bridgen P and Meyer T (2011) lsquoNew Pension Policy Settlements and their Impact for
German and British Citizensrsquo in Clasen J (ed) Converging Worlds of Welfare
German and British Social Policy in the 21st Century Oxford Oxford University
Press (pp 180ndash217)
Brooks A C (2009) Social Entrepreneurship A Modern a Approach to Social Value
Creation Prentice Hall Pearson Education
Bugg-Levine A amp Emerson J (2011) Impact investing Transforming how we make
money while making a difference innovations 6(3) 9-18
Cabrero G R Vidal P (2008) El Tercer Sector en Espantildea Una Mirada desde la
Investigacioacuten ISTR Conference Presentation
Campbell JL and Hall JA (2006) lsquoThe State of Denmarkrsquo in Campbell JL Hall
JA and Pedersen OK (eds) National Identity and the Varieties of Capitalism
The Danish Experience Montreal McGill-Queenrsquos University Press (pp 3ndash49)
Castle-Kanerova M (1992) Social Policy in Czechoslovakia in Deacon B (ed) The
New Eastern Europe Social Policy Past Present and Future London Sage
Publications (pp 91-117)
Caulier-Grice J Davies A Patrick R Norman W (2012) Defining Social Innovation A
deliverable of the project ldquoThe theoretical empirical and policy foundations for
building social innovation in Europerdquo (TEPSIE) European Commission ndash 7th
Framework Programme Brussels European Commission DG Research
72
Cerami A (2010) The Politics of Social Security Reforms in Czech Repbulic Hungary
Poland and Slovakia in Palier B (ed) A Long-Good Bye to Bismarck The
Politics of Welfare Reforms in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam
University Press (pp 233ndash54)
Cerami A (2011) lsquoAgeing and the Politics of Pension Reforms in Central Europe
South-Eastern Europe and the Baltic Statesrsquo International Journal of Social
Welfare 20 331ndash43
Christiansen P M Klitgaard M B (2008) Den utaelignkelige reform Strukturreformens
tilblivelse 2002-2005 Syddansk Universitetsforlag Odense
Chronholm A (2009) lsquoSweden Individualization or Free Choice in Parental Leaversquo in
Kamerman SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies
Children Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp
227ndash42)
Cichon M et al (2004) Financing Social Protection Quantitative methods in social
protection series Geneva ILO
Clasen J (2005) Reforming European Welfare States Germany and the United
Kingdom Compared Oxford Oxford University Press
Clasen J and Clegg D (2011) lsquoThe Transformation of Unemployment Protection in
Europersquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 333ndash45)
Cook (2007) Post-Communist Welfare States Reform Politics in Russia and Eastern
Europe Ithaca New York Cornell University Press
CZ NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Czech Republic
CZ SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Czech Republic
Daly M (2010) lsquoShifts in Family Policy in the UK under New Labourrsquo Journal of
European Social Policy 20(5) 433ndash43
Davidsson JB (2011) Unions in Hard Times Labour Market Politics in Western
Europe Two Patterns of Reform PhD Thesis European University Institute
Florence Italy
Davies N (2011) Retirement Age to Rise to 67 with some Exceptions Reuters
De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) Social investment or recommodification Assessing the
employment policies of the EU member statesrdquo in N Morel B Palier and J Palme
(Ed) Towards a social investment welfare state Policy Press Bristol
DE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Germany
Defourny J ndash Nyssens M (2008) Social Enterprise in Europe Recent Trends and
Developments WP no0801 EMES
Del Pino E Ramos JA and Diaz-Pulido JM (2012) Retrenchment in the Spanish
Welfare State EstudioWorking Paper No 1362012
Derlien H-U and BG Peters (eds) (2008) The State at Work (volume 1)
PublicSector Employment in Ten Western Countries Cheltenham Edward Elgar
pp 222-248
DK NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Denmark
Duman A and Scharle A (2011) Hungary Fiscal Pressures and a Rising Resentment
against the (Idle) Poor in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 232ndash54)
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EC (2015) Social Investment in Europe A study of national policies ESPN report
prepared by D Bouget H Frazer E Marlier S Sabato and B Vanhercke
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Eichhorst W and Hemerijck A (2010) lsquoWelfare and Employment A European
Dilemmarsquo in Alber J and Gilbert N (eds) United in Diversity Comparing
Social Models in Europe and America Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 201ndash
36)
EIRO (1997) The 1997 Labour Reform in Spain the April Agreements
Eisenstadt S N (1973) Tradition Change and Modernity Cambridge Polity Press
Eklund Hansen A (2003) Barselsorlovens historie i 100 aringr Arbejderbevaeliggelsens
Bibliotek og Arkiv
Epstein M J amp Yuthas K (2014) Measuring and improving social impacts A Guide
for nonprofits companies and impact investors Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Eriksson M Einarsson T amp Wijkstroumlm F (2014) European social innovation policy
framework in light of third sector and civil society actors Report on the FP7
project rsquoImpact of the Third Sector as Social Innovationrsquo (ITSSOIN)
Escobedo A (1999) New Law Promotes Reconciliation of Work and Family Life
Eurofound
Esping-Andersen G (1990) The three worlds of welfare capitalism Princeton New
Jersey Princeton University Press ISBN 9780069028573
Esping-Andersen G (2009) The Incomplete Revolution Adapting to Womenrsquos New
Roles Cambridge Polity
Esping-Andersen G (2010) The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism Oxford Polity
Press
Esping-Andersen G Gallie D Hemerijck A and Myles J (2002) Why We Need a
New Welfare State Oxford Oxford University Press
EU (2013) Guide to Social Innovation Report prepared by DG Regional and Urban
Policy and DG Employment Directorate General of European Commission
European Commission (2010) Second Biennal Report on social services of general
interest Commission Staff Working Document SEC (2010) 1284 final Brussels
EU-SPC (2013) Social Europe Many ways one objective Annual Report of the Social
Protection Committee on the social situation in the European Union
EU-SPC (2014a) Social Protection Performance Monitor (SPPM) dashboard results
Report of the Social Protection Committee on the social situation in the European
Union
EU-SPC (2014b) Review of recent social policy reforms for a fair and competitive
Europe Report of the Social Protection Committee on the social situation in the
European Union
Fagnani J (2011) OECDIFP Project on the Future of Families to 2030 WorkFamily
Life Balance Future Trends and Challenges OECD
Ferrera M A Hemerijck and M Rhodes (2000) The Future of Social Europe Recasting
Work and Welfare in the New Economy Report prepared for the Portuguese
Presidency of the EU Oeiras Celta Editora
Ferrera M and Hemerijk A (2003) lsquoRecalibrating Europersquos Welfare Regimesrsquo in
Zeitlin J and Trubek DB (eds) Governing Work and Welfare in the New
Economy European and American Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
(pp 88-128)
74
Ferrera M and Jessoula M (2007) lsquoItaly A Narrow Gate for Path-Shiftlsquo in Immergut
EM Anderson KM and Schulze I (eds) The Handbook of West European
Pension Politics Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 396ndash453)
Ferrera M Maino F (2014) Social Innovation Beyond the State Italyrsquos Second
Welfare in a European Perspective 2WEL - Social Innovation Beyond the State
2014
Ferrera M and Gualmini E (2000) lsquoReforms Guided by Consensus The Welfare State
in Italian Transitionrsquo West European Politics 23(2) pp 187ndash208
Fimreite A L Flo Y Selle P Tranvik T (2007) Naringr sektorbaringndene brytes
Utfordringer for den norske velferdsmodellen I Tidsskrift for Samfunnsforskning
48 2 pp 165-96
Fleckenstein T (2011) lsquoThe Politics of Ideas in Welfare State Transformation Christian
Democracy and the Reform of Family Policy in Germanyrsquo Social Politics
International Studies in Gender State amp Society 18(4) 543ndash71
Flynn N (2002) lsquoExplaining the New Public Management The importance of contextrsquo in
K McLaughlin SP Osborne amp E Ferlie eds New Public Management Current
Trends and Future Prospects Routledge London and New York
Foumlrster MF and Toacuteth IG (2001) lsquoChild Poverty and Family Transfers in the Czech
Republic Hungary and Polandrsquo Journal of European Social Policy 11(4) pp
324ndash41
Fultz E and Ruck M (2001) lsquoPension Reform in Central and Eastern Europe
Emerging Issues and Patternsrsquo International Labour Review 140(1) 19ndash43
Giddens A (1998) Duacutesledky modernity (The Consequences of Modernity) Praha
Slon
Gioldsmith S (2010) The power of Social Innovation How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite
Community netwoks for Good Jossey-Bass Books
Glasby J Dickinson H and Smith J (2010) Creating NHS local the relationship
between English local government and the NHS Social Policy and Administration
44(3) 244-264
Goul Andersen J (2007) lsquoThe Danish Welfare State as lsquoPolitics for Marketsrsquo Combining
Equality and Competitiveness in a Global Economyrsquo New Political Economy
12(1) 71ndash8
Goul Andersen J (2011) lsquoDenmark Ambiguous Modernisation of an Inclusive
Unemployment Protection Systemrsquo Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating
the Risk of Unemployment Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 187ndash207)
Graziano PR and Winkler J (2012) Governance and Implementation of Activation
Policies Czech Republic and Italy Compared International Journal of Sociology
and Social Policy 32(56) 340ndash52
Greve B (2002) Vouchers Nye styrings- og leveringsmaringder i velfaeligrdsstaten
Koslashbenhavn DJOslashFrsquos forlag
Grossi G G Marcou and Ch Reichard (2010) ldquoComparative aspects of institutional
variants for local public service provisionrdquo in Wollman H And GMarcou The
Provision of Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and
Market Edward Elgar UKUSA pp 217-23
Gruening G (2001) Origin and theoretical basis of New Public Management
International Public Management Journal 41ndash25
Guilleacuten AM and Matsaganis M (2000) lsquoTesting the ldquoSocial Dumpingrdquo Hypothesis in
Southern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 10(2) 120ndash45
75
Guilleacuten AM Aacutelvarez S and P Adatildeo E Silva (2003) lsquoRedesigning the Spanish and
Portuguese Welfare States The Impact of Accession into the European Unionrsquo
South European Society and Politics 8(1ndash2) 231ndash68
Guthrie J (1998) Application of accrual accounting in the Australian public sector mdash
rhetoric or realityrsquo Financial Accountability and Management 141ndash 19
Haggard S and Kaufman R (2008) Development Democracy and Welfare States
Princeton Princeton University Press
Hardt A (2013) Wie Vereine von Ganztagsschulen profitieren in ldquoHamburger
Abendblattrdquo 4 October
Hartz Commission (2002) Modern Services on the Labour Market Report of the
Commission Berlin Federal Ministry for Employment and Economic Affairs
Haumlusermann S (2010) The politics of welfare state reform in continental Europe
modernisation in hard times Cambridge University Press
Hautamaki A (2010) Sustainable Innovation A Next Age of Innovation and Finland s
Innovation Policy Helsinki SITRA
Hay C (2004) lsquoCommon Trajectories Variable Paces Divergent Outcomes Models of
European Capitalism under Conditions of Complex Economic Interdependencersquo
Review of International Political Economy 11(2) 231ndash62
Hemerijck A (2013a) Changing Welfare States Oxford Oxford University Press
Hemerijck A (2013b) 21st Century European Social Investment Imperatives Paper
presented at ldquothe Social Justice Ireland Policy Conferencerdquo on 19 November
2013
Hemerijck A and Marx I (2010) Continental Welfare at a Crossroads The Choice
between Activation and Minimum Income Protection in Belgium and the
Netherlands in Palier B (ed) A long goodbye to Bismarck The politics of
welfare reform in continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
(pp 129-55)
Hemerijck A and Sleegers P (2007) lsquoThe Netherlands Social and Economic
Normalization in an Era of European Union Controversyrsquo in Kvist J and Saari J
(eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol Policy (pp 175ndash94)
Hemerijck A Draumlbing V Vis B Nelson M Soentken M (2013) European Welfare
States in Motion NEUJOBS Working Paper NO D52 March 2013
Henriksen LS and Bundesen P (2004) The moving frontier in Denmark Voluntary-
state relationships since 1850 in ldquoJournal of Social Policyrdquo Vol 33 no 4 pp
601ndash621
Hood C (1991) A public management for all seasons Public Administration 693ndash19
Hood C (1995) Emerging issues in public administration Public Administration
73165ndash83
Houwing H (2010) A Dutch Approach to Flexicurity Negotiated Change in the
Organization of Temporary Work Amsterdam University of Amsterdam
Hubert A et al (2010) Empowering people driving change Social innovation in the
European Union EC Brussels
Hubert A Carvalho DdG amp Goudin P (2014) Social Innovation a Decade of
Changes BEPA report prepared for the European Commisison
IE NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash Ireland
ILO (International Labour Organization) (1952) C102 ndash Convention (No 102) Social
Security (Minimum Standards) (Geneva ILO)
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Immergut E Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) (2007) The Handbook of Pension
Politics in Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press
Inglot T (2008) Welfare States in East Central Europe 1919ndash2004 Cambridge
Cambridge University Press
Irish Government (2006) National Report for Ireland on Strategies for Social Protection
and Social Inclusion Dublin Stationery Office
ISSA (2014) Social Security Programs Throughout the World Europe SSA Publication
No 13-11801
ISSA (2013) Europe Enhancing the sustainability of comprehensive social security
systems Edited by International Social Security Association Geneva
Jensen C (2008) ldquoWorlds of welfare services and transfersrdquo Journal of European
Social Policy 18 151 pp 151-162
Jessoula M and Alti T (2010) ldquoItaly An Uncompleted Departure from Bismarckrdquo in B
Palier (ed) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare Reform in
Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Jessoula M and Vesan P (2011) lsquoItaly Limited Adaptation of an Atypical Systemrsquo in
Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National
Adaptations to Post-Industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford
University Press (pp 142-64)
Kangas O (2007) lsquoFinland Labour Markets Against Politicsrsquo in Immergut E
Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) The Handbook of Pension Politics in
Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 248-96)
Kangas O Lundberg U and Ploug N (2006) lsquoThree Routes to a Pension Reform
Politics and Institutions in Reforming Pensions in Denmark Finland and
Swedenrsquo Arbetsrapport 10 Stockholm Institute for Futures Studies
Kautto M (2002) ldquoInvesting in services in West European welfare statesrdquo Journal of
European Social Policy 12 1 pp 53-65
KELLY G amp MUERS S (2002) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical framework for
publicservice reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
KELLY G MULGAN G amp MUERS S (2004) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical
frameworkfor public service reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
Keune M (2006) lsquoThe European Social Model and Enlargementrsquo in Jepsen M and
Serrano A(eds) Unwrapping the European Social Model Bristol Policy (pp
167ndash188)
King D (1995) Actively Seeking Work The Politics of Unemployment and Welfare
Policy in the United States and Great Britain Chicago University of Chicago
Press
Koumlhler P Thoreacuten K and Ulmestig R (2008) Activation Policies in Sweden
lsquoSomething Old Something New Something Borrowed and Something Bluersquo in
Eichhorst W KonleSeidl R and Kaufmann O (eds) Activating Labour Market
Policy A Comparative Study Berlin Springer Academic Publishers
Korthouwer GHP (2010) Party Politics as we Knew It Failure to Dominate
Government Intraparty Dynamics and Welfare Reforms in Continental Europe
Oisterwijk Uitgeverij BOXPress
KPMG International (2012) Leading practices in the human and social services sector
77
KPMG International (2013a) Future State 2030 The Global Megatrends shaping
governments
KPMG International (2013b) The Integration Imperative reshaping the delivery of
human and social services
KPMG International (2014) What works Creating new value with patients carers and
communities
KPMG International (2014) ldquoA new vision of value ndash Connecting corporate and societal
value creationrdquo
KPMG International (2014) Netherlands Buurtzorg empowered nurses focus on patient
value in KPMG International (Ed) Value walks Successful habits for improving
workforce motivation and productivity pp 20- 24
Kubicek K amp Hagen M (2001) One-stop-government in Europe An overview
Bremen University of Bremen
Kuhlman S and P Fedele (2010) ldquoNew public management in continental Europe
local government medernalization in Germany France and Italy from a
comparative perspectiverdquo in Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) The Provision of
Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and Market
Cheltenham Edward Elgar
Lapsley I (1999) Accounting and the New Public Management Instruments of
substantive efficiency or a rationalising modernityrsquo Financial Accountability and
Management 15201ndash7
Lapsley I (2001) Accounting organization and the statersquo Financial Accountability and
Management 17299ndash 302
Larsen CA and Andersen JG (2009) lsquoHow New Economic Ideas Changed the Danish
Welfare State The Case of Neoliberal Ideas and Highly Organized Social
Democratic Interestsrsquo Governance An International Journal of Policy
Administration and Institutions 22(2) pp 239ndash61
laville J-L (2007) L eacuteconomie solidaire Une perspective Internationale Paris
Hachette Litteacuteratures
Lubelcovaacute G (2012) ldquoSocial innovations in the context of modernisationrdquo Socioloacutegia-
Slovak Sociological Review (3) 291-313
Maino F (2013) Tra nuovi bisogni e vincoli di bilancio protagonisti risorse
innovazione sociale in F Maino and M Ferrera (Eds) Primo rapporto sul
secondo welfare in Italia 2013 Torino Centro Ricerca e Documentazione Ricerca
Luigi Einaudi pp 17-46
Marmot M Allen J Bell R Bloomer E amp Goldblatt P (2012) WHO European
review of social determinants of health and the health divide The
Lancet 380(9846) 1011-1029
McSweeney B (1994) Management by accounting in A Hopwood amp P Miller eds
Accounting as Social and Institutional Practice An Introduction Cambridge
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Misuraca G et al (2011) Interoperability Challenges for ICT-enabled Governance
Towards a pan-European Conceptual Framework J Theor Appl Electron
Commer Res ISSN 0718ndash1876 Electron Version 6 1 95ndash111
Misuraca G et al (2013) From Practice to Theory and back to Practice Reflexivity in
Measurement and Evaluation for Evidence-based Policy Making in the
Information Society Gov Inf Q 30 Supple S68ndashS82
Misuraca G et al (2015) ICT-Enabled Social Innovation in support of the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
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Misuraca G(2012) ldquoAssessing ICT-enabled innovation for governance and policy
makingrdquo PhD Thesis - College of Management and Technology EPFL Lausanne
Switzerland EPFL Switzerland
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Digital Governance in the Public Sector challenging
the Policy-Makerrsquos innovation dilemma 8th International Conference on Theory
and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2014)
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Is Open Data Enough E-Governance Challenges for
Open Government Int J Electron Gov Res 10 1 19ndash36
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2015) Shaping public sector innovation theory an
interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation Electron
Commer Res 1ndash20
Molina O (2011) ldquoPolicy Concertation Trade Unions and the Transformation of the
Spanish Welfare Staterdquo en Guilleacuten AM Leoacuten M (eds) The Spanish Welfare
State in European Context Ashgate Farnham pp77-96
Montero A van Duijn S Zonneveld N Minkman M Nies H (2016) Integrated
Social Services in Europe European Social Network Brighton
Moore MH Creating public value strategic management in government Harvard
University Press Cambridge Mass (1995)
Morel N (2007) lsquoFrom Subsidiarity to lsquoFree Choicersquo Child‐ and Elder‐care Policy
Reforms in France Belgium Germany and the Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy amp
Administration 41(6) 618ndash37
Morel N Palier B amp Palme J (2012) Towards a social investment welfare state
ideas policies and challenges Policy Press
Mulgan G (2007) Social Innovation What it is why it matters and how it can be
accelerated London Young Foundation
Mulgan G (2009) The art of Public Strategy Mobilizing Power and Knowledge for the
Common Good Oxford
Mu ller K (2002) lsquoBeyond Privatization Pension Reform in the Czech Republic and
SloveniarsquoJournal of European Social Policy 12(4) 293ndash306
Munday B (2003) European Social Services A Map of Characteristics Report prepared
for the Council of Europe
Murphy M (2007) lsquoThe Emerging Irish Workfare State and Its Implications for Local
Developmentrsquo in Taming the Tiger Social Exclusion in a Globalised Ireland
Dublin TASC A Think Tank for action on Social Change (pp 85ndash112)
Murphy M (2008) lsquoIdeas Interests and Institutions Explaining Irish Social Security
Policyrsquo Combat Poverty Agency Research Working Paper 0808
Murphy-Lawless J (2000) lsquoChanging Womenrsquos Lives Child Care Policy in Irelandrsquo
Feminist Economics 6(1) 89ndash94
Natali D Pavolini E (2014) Prowelfare Providing welfare through social dialogue A
new role for social partners Executive Summary Results of the comparative
analysis of Voluntary Occupational Welfare
ND NSR (2014) National Social Report 2015 ndash Netherlands
Nelson H (2008) ldquoPublic employment and multilevel governance in unitary and federal
systemsrdquo in H-U Derlien and BG Peters (eds) The State at Work (volume 2)
Comparative Public Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar 33-64
Nelson M (2012) lsquoMaking Markets with Active Labor Market Policies the Influence of
Political Parties Welfare State Regimes and Economic Change on Spending on
Different Types of Policiesrsquo European Political Science Review
79
Nesporova A (1999) Employment and Labour Market Policies in Transition Economies
GenevaILO
Nikolai (2012) Towards social investment Patterns of public policy in the OECD worldrdquo
in N
Noumllke A and Vliegenthart A (2009) lsquoEnlarging the Varieties of Capitalism The
Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europersquo World
Politics 61 670ndash702
OECD (1997) Managing Across Levels of Government Part One Overview Paris
OECD (2005) Pensions at a Glance Public Policies across OECD Countries Paris OECD
OECD (2014) Society at a Glance 2014 OECD Social Indicators OECD Publishing
Olson O J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds (1998) Global Warning mdash Debating International
Developments in New Public Financial Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag
Bergen Norway
Orenstein M (1994) The Political Success of Neo-Liberalism in the Czech Republic
CERGE-EI Working Paper Series 68
Oslashsterud Oslashyvind and Per Selle (2006) Power and Democracy in Norway The
Transformation of Norwegian Politics In Scandinavian Political Studies 29 1 pp
25- 46
Palier B (ed) (2010) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare State
Reform in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Pallot J (1999) The New Zealand revolution in O Olson J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds
Global Warning mdash Debating International Developments in New Public Financial
Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag Bergen Norway 156ndash84
Pallot J (2000) Experimenting in the Antipodes Long Term Financial Planning in New
Zealand Local Government EIASM International Conference on Accounting
Auditing and Management in Public Sector Reforms Zaragoza Spain
Palme J (2005) Features of the Swedish Pension Reform The Japanese Journal of
Social Security Policy 4(1) 42ndash53
Peters B G (2008) ldquoRegional government and public employmentrdquo in H-U Derlien
and BG Peters BG (eds) The State at Work (volume 2) Comparative Public
Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar pp 65-76
Phillis J A Deiglmeier K ndash Miller D T 2008 Rediscovering Social Innovation In
Stanford Social Innovation Review fall 2008 (wwwssirevieworgarticlesentry)
Phills J A (2009) Rediscovery social innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review
Pisano U Lange L and Berger G (2015) Social Innovation in Europe an overview
of the concept of social innovation in the context of European Initiatives and
practices ESDN Quarterly Report ndeg36 Report prepared by the Institute for
Managing Sustainability of Vianna University of Economy and Business
PL NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Poland
PL SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Poland
Plantenga J Remery C and Takacs J (2012) lsquoPublic Support to Young Families in
the European Unionrsquo in Work Family Policies and Transitions to Adulthood in
Europe Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Pollitt C amp H Summa (1997) Trajectories of reform Public management change in four
countries Public Money amp Management Jan-March7ndash18
Pollitt C Bouckaert G (2000) Public Management Reform A Comparative Analysis
Oxford University Press Oxford
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Pollitt Christopher (2003) The essential public manager Berkshire Open University
Press
Porter M E amp Kramer M R (2011) Creating shared value Harvard business
review 89(12) 62-77
Potucek M (2007) lsquoThe Czech Republic Tradition Compatible with Modernisation in
Kvist J and Saari J (eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol
Policy Press (pp 137ndash52)
Rhodes M (2000) lsquoRestructuring the British Welfare State Between Domestic
Constraints and Global Imperativesrsquo in Scharpf FW and Schmidt VA (eds)
Welfare and Work in the Open Economy Oxford Oxford University Press (pp
19ndash68)
Russell H OrsquoConnell PJ and McGinnity F (2007) lsquoThe Impact of Flexible Working
Arrangements on Work-Life Conflict and Work Pressure in Irelandrsquo Economic and
Social Research Institute Working Paper
Sacchi S and Bastagli F (2005) lsquoItaly Striving Uphill but Stopping Halfwayrsquo in
Ferrera M (ed) Welfare State Reform In Southern Europe Fighting Poverty
and Social Exclusion In Italy Spain Portugal and Greece London Routledge
(pp 84ndash140)
Sapir A (2006) Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models JCMS
Journal of Common Market Studies Volume 44 Issue 2 pages 369ndash390 June
2006
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2007) lsquoRe-familisation of the Czech Family Policy and Its
Causesrsquo International Review of Sociology 17(2) 319ndash41
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2009) lsquoNeo‐liberalism by Decay The Evolution of the
Czech Welfare Statersquo Social Policy amp Administration 43(2) 186ndash203
Schludi M (2005) The Reform of Biskmarckian Pension System Amsterdam
Amsterdam University Press
Schmidt VV (2002) lsquoDoes Discourse Matter in the Politics of Welfare State
Adjustmentlsquo Comparative Political Studies 35(2) 168ndash93
SE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Sweden
Sirovaacutetka T Hora O (2011) lsquoThe Czech Republic -Activation Diversification and
Marginalisationrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 255ndash77)
Sivesind KH (2014) The changing role of private and nonprofit welfare provision in
Norway Sweden and Denmark and consequences for the Scandinavian model
Paper for the 12th Annual ESPAnet Conference Oslo 4-6 September 2014
Sjoumlberg O (2011) lsquoSweden - Ambivalent Adjustmentrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D
(eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-
industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 208ndash
31)
Sotiropoulos D amp Bourikos D (2014) Economic Crisis Social Solidarity and the
Voluntary Sector in Greece Journal of Power Politics amp Governance Vol 2 No
2 pp 33-53
Spear R Defourny J Faverou L Laville JL (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in
Europe The Contribution of The Social Economy Aldershot Ashgate
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
81
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Szelewa D Polakowski MP (2008) lsquoWho Cares Changing Patterns of Childcare in
Central and Eastern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 18(2) 115ndash31
Taylor G (2005) Negotiated Governance and Public Policy in Ireland Manchester
Manchester University Press
Toharia L and Malo MA (2000) lsquoThe Spanish Experiment Pros and Cons of
Flexibility at the Marginrsquo in Esping-Andersen G and Regini M (eds) Why
Deregulate Labour Markets Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 307ndash36)
Torfing J (1999) lsquoWorkfare With Welfare Recent Reforms of the Danish Welfare
Statersquo Journal of European Social Policy 9(1) pp 5ndash28
Torres L (2004) Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental
countries Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 63 Issue 3 pages
99ndash112 September 2004
Trampusch C (2009) Der erschoumlpfte Sozialstaat Transformation eines Politikfeldes
Frankfurt Campus
UK NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash United Kingdom
Valentova M (2012) lsquoEmployment Breaks due to Childcare in The Czech Republic
Before and After 1989rsquo Work Employment and Society 26(2) 266-81
Van Berkel R de Graaf W and Sirovaacutetka T (eds) (2011) The Governance of
Welfare States in Europe Houndmills Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan
Van Hooren F and Becker U (2012) lsquoOne Welfare State Two Care Regimes
Understanding Developments in Child and Elderly Care Policies in the
Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy and Administration 46 (1) 83-107
Van Oorschot W (2004) Balancing work and welfare activation and flexicurity policies
in The Netherlands 1980ndash2000 International Journal of Social Welfare Volume
13 Issue 1 pages 15ndash27 January 2004
Večerniacutek J (2008) Social Policy in the Czech ldquoRepublicrdquo The Past and the Future of
Reforms East European Politics amp Society 22(3) 496-517
Visser J (2002) lsquoThe First Part-time Economy in the World a Model to Be Followedrsquo
Journal of European Social Policy 12(1) 23ndash42
Visser J and Hemerijck A (1997) A Dutch Miracle Job Growth Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wall K (2009) lsquoPortugal and Spain Two Pathways in Southern Europersquo in Kamerman
SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies Children
Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp 207ndash26)
Weishaupt JT (2010) lsquoA Silent Revolution New Management Ideas and the
Reinvention of European Public Employment Servicesrsquo Socio-Economic Review
8(3) 461ndash86
Weishaupt JT (2011) From the Manpower Revolution to the Activation Paradigm
Explaining Institutional Continuity and Change in an Integrating Europe
Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wolk A Kreitz K (2008) Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact A Social-
Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social problems Cambridge Root Cause
Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) (2010b) The Provision of Public Services in Europe
Between State Local Government and Market Cheltenham Edward Elgar
82
Young R (2008) Social Value and the Future of Social Entrepreneurship In Social
Entrepreneurship New Models of Sustainable Social Change Oxford Oxford
University Press 2008
Zeitlin J (2003) Introduction Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy
European and American Experiments in Zeitlin J and Trubek D (eds)
Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy European and American
Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
List of web sites and repositories investigated
Web sites related to social sciences like H-Net Academiaedu Social Science Space
Social Science Research Social Science Statistics Center for Philosophy of Natural
and Social Science
Repository libraries related to social sciences like Social Science Open Access
Repository Economic and Social Research Council Social Sciences Health and
Education Library European Social Innovation Research
Universities related to social sciences like
TU-Dortmund (httpwwwwisotu-dortmunddewisodefakultaet) University of
Helsinki (httpstuhathalvihelsinkifiportalenpublicationssearchhtml)
University of Glasgow (httpeprintsglaacuk ) European University Institute
(httpcadmuseuieu ) Humboldt Universitaumlt Berlin (httpwww2hu-
berlindeforschungfdb )
Member States websites related to the Social Protection Systems
World Health Organization web site
London school of economics web site
DG EMPL website
EU Bookshop
Website of Institutions that promote awards to worthy initiatives (ie European Public
Sector Award - EPSA)
Professional human resources web sites like wwwhrcom in which it is possible to find
information focusing on major employment issues
Database of the European Association Working for Carers httpeurocarersorg
(httpeurocarersorgcarictindex2phptask=projectsamporder=nameampdir=ASCampd
b=2ampkeyword=independent+living )
The web and the blog spheres by searching for basic expressions related to the topic of
interest in traditional search engines (Google Bing etc) and investigating
targeted information gathering portals
Other sources of information related to the topics of analysis such as
KPMG Professional Network and the Centre of Excellence
Interaction with the Advisory Group
The Annual Growth Survey 2015 edited by the European Community
The Jointly Employment Report 2015 edited by the European Community
83
List of abbreviations and definitions
JRC Joint Research Centre
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
ICT Information and Communication Technology
PSSGI Personal Social Services of General Interest
SIP Social Investment Package
SI Social Innovation
DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
IESI ICT enabled Social Innovation in support to the Implementation of the
Social Investment Package
EU European Union
SPC Social Protection Commitee
SPPM Social Protection Performance Monitor
GDP Gross Domestic Product
COM
PSS Personal Social Services
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CVD Cardiovascular Disease
HF Heart Failure
BEPA
EPSA European Public Sector Award
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
84
List of tables
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems 17
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops 26
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation 32
Table 4 Selected Case Studies 33
Table 5 Social services addressed35
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration 52
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives 55
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment 57
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation 59
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing 60
85
List of figures
Figure 1 Research Design 9
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology 13
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework 13
Figure 4 Analytical framework 14
Figure 5 The integration continuum 22
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation 23
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments 27
Figure 8 Geographical distribution 34
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services 36
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map 36
86
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies
A BOOK FOR A
ROOF (ABFR)
ZAGREB CITY LIBRARIES
Country Croatia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 400
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production
Sustainedorganisational innovation
Open process of co-
creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is seen as a new threat in most Croatian cities as it was largely ignored by policy makers until the Social Welfare Act in 2012 Since then several stakeholders ndash public and local government authorities trade unions employers and civil society organizationsrsquo representatives ndash have been involved in the drafting of the Strategy for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion in Croatia (2014-2020) One of the objectives in this strategy was to elaborate guidance on the necessary actions to improve care services for homeless The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has carried out a new plan - Consolidated Plan for the Care of the Homeless Persons during Extreme Winter Weather Conditionsrsquo - to implement specific actions that will allow a better provision of social services for
homeless The plan was the result of a multi-governance
87
collaboration between the national level large towns
municipalities homes for the elderly and the infirm and homes for mentally ill adults Its aim was to secure better data from the local authorities in order to plan effectively the availability of an adequate number of temporary structures as well as other services to help homeless people during the coldest months of the year
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) a network of public libraries that serves Zagreb and Zagreb County works with homeless people to increase their employability and build their self-image and confidence13
Aim of the initiative The overall aim of A Book for A Roof was to help the network of ZCL to develop a set of activities that through the medium of ICTs could provide employability and build positive self-imagine and confidence into the homeless living in the city Supporting homeless people to become more engaged and
proactive in the labour market
Overcoming the prejudices and preconceptions about the homeless in libraries Improving the life chances of homeless individuals Building the self-image of one of the cityrsquos most complex socially excluded groups Aiding homeless individuals to secure a future throughout
investing on strong partnership
Financial Model After the initial first year grant in 2011 provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries the project survived thanks to the help of different partners such as other homeless shelters within the city the Voluntary Centers local authorities and stakeholders involved into the project after the positive achievements realized
during the first years of activity One of these stakeholders was the Zagreb City Council that in 2012 granted 10000 Kunas (euro1300) to help evolving and expanding the main goals of this
initiative
Results Creation of a new network of public private and non-profit actors which for the first time actively helped each other to produce
social inclusion for homeless bull Raised awareness on the homelessness issue through
conferences workshops and media coverage bull 22 homeless among the 63 who used ICT trainings during
20112012 found a job bull The library trained 17 volunteers to provide ICT and job-seeking
training to the homeless
Role of ICTs The A Book for a Roof initiative depends mainly on the use of ICT to accomplish its main goals The role of ICTs in promoting social innovation is based on the empowering effect that enabling technologies have for the homelessICT courses include using the Internet to seek for
employment applying for jobs online and enhance homeless
individuals likelihood to (re)-engage with the job market This is coupled with job application training motivation and counseling and takes place in the library where homeless citizens feel more comfortable and safe
Lessons learned bull The initiative can be deemed sustainable because of its limited
costs however as it relies on donations constant disseminationinformation activity is necessary to keep high social awareness around the issue of homelessness
bull The need for resources and financial contributions from other library networks or municipalities can be a barrier to scaling up
bull Other parts of Croatia have started offering similar services
Key Informants Sanja Bunic Project Manager Zagreb City Libraries
Danijel Vuga House of Hope Shelter
88
CROSSROAD
BANK FOR
SOCIAL
SECURITY
(CBSS)
Country Belgium
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group socially insured personscompanies
Target people reached 11000000
Main PSSGI Social care social assistance
Started in 2002
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential
Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background More than two decades ago the Belgian administration carried out an in depth analysis on the functioning of social security delivery processes showing that bull The organization of the business processes of the social security
institutions presented a lack of customer orientation and was not at all harmonized across the different social security institutions
bull There was a lack of standardization in the paper forms used by each institution for collecting information from the customers
bull There was no exchange of information across institutions with
the consequence of a duplication of information bull The socially insured persons and their employers had
themselves to look for their rights throughout the social security system and could not count on the automatic granting of all
89
rights on the basis of one declaration
To address the issues 13 years ago the Belgian social security institute started developing a coordinated information management program generating Crossroad Bank for Social Security This allowed the creation of a permanent and inter-operable social security network among all 3000 social security institutions in Belgium
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Electronic data exchange between citizens and social security institutions
Aim of the initiative The overall objective of Crossroad Bank for Social Security is to provide socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have a minimum level of administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
bull The key objective of the back office was to re-organize all
processes and relationships with each social security institutions and between all 3000 social security institutions
bull With regard to the front office it was re-organized in order to deliver integrated electronic services to the target groups (socially insured persons companies intermediaries etc) in a personalized way via an access method (eg application to
application file transfer portal) chosen by the user
Financial Model The annual cost of CBSS (its network and services as well as its 90 employees) equals to 17 million euro The cost is financed by a withholding on the social security contribution paid by the employers the employee and the self-employed before the
distribution of these contributions to the social security sectors There is no direct charge for the actors in the social security sector
Results bull Significant reduction of administrative burden for workers
thanks to CBSS only 2 (out of 120) declarations have to be
done directly by the individual
bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for CBSS in relation to total cost of delivery
bull Still more important than the efficiency gains are probably the gains in terms of service effectiveness
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the Social Protection system in terms of quality of services as well as the overall systems sustainability
Role of ICTs CBSS is conceived as a brand new ICT architecture with 5 main distinctive characteristics bull Information modelling bull Unique collection and re-use of information bull Management of information
bull Electronic exchange of information bull Protection of information
Lessons learned bull CBSS has already existed for already 25 years which is itself
evidence of sustainability bull CBSS fostered the development of a coherent legal framework bull CBSS has been asked to reuse the same model in the health
sector for pharmacies practitioners hospital care etc This same model was copied applied in other countries as well especially after receiving the many awards given to CBSS such as the UN award in 2006 For example Argentina copied the model
bull Key success factor is the sufficient financial support made
available for the implementation of CBSS
Key Informants Frank Robben General manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security National Office for Social Security Belgium
90
EESTIEE
ESTONIA STATE PORTAL
Country Estonia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General population
Target people reached 401316 users
Main PSSGI Civic engagement
Started in 2003
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 Estonia - one of the smallest nations in Europe - was left with
little public infrastructure and virtually no commercial activity It needed to build high-functioning government services for its
residents and the fledgling private sector To address this need Estoniarsquos government invested proactively in technology to bring government services and citizens online In 2003 the Estonian government launched the first version of its e-government portal (wwweestiee) which offered secure online access to a limited number of government services Since then the Estonian State Portal has developed and expanded significantly and today
Estoniarsquos 13 million residents can use electronic ID cards to log in to the eestiee portal to vote pay taxes claim unemployment benefits register properties and access more than 815 other public and private e-services The portal is a gateway to public information and services it is user-friendly and secure
91
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Agenda 2020 for EstoniaOnline centralized public service
information system to communicate with citizens
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the state portal is to provide entrepreneurs with entry-level information on their obligations to the state and how they must fulfill them as well as access to public services to the general public through a single window The platform also allows the use of various registry services (commercial register registry of economic activities traffic register etc) The portal is constantly updated and improved with the addition of
new sections or services Ongoing initiatives are related to several aspects of citizens and people lives such as bull the concept of e-residency (also for foreigners wishing to use
Estonian e-services) bull the possibility of establishing a company within an hour
bull making bank transfers within seconds bull participating actively in the management of a company
registered in Estonia bull submitting tax return requests
Financial Model EU structural funds
Results bull The number of users of the platform has grown in the last years bull Currently entrepreneurs and citizens of other 11 foreign
countries can also be authenticated and use Estonian e-services bull The platform contributes extensively to the usability and ease of
use of e-services and thereby it helps to bring the government closer to people Furthermore it helps create awareness of the
availability of e-services as visitors discover new options while browsing it
bull The initiative resulted in a more direct support of inclusive labour markets self-employment and job market
Intermediaries better targeting benefits and services and cost-effective social services meeting the needs of citizens
bull Estoniarsquos experience is also increasing transparency and addressing corruption mismanagement conflicts of interest or ethical issues thanks to the amount of information freely available
Role of ICTs The role of ICT is fundamental the system developed by the government in 2003 called X-Road has been designed to be able
to incorporate innovative applications which has made it possible to constantly update it and enrich it with new tools The system consists of a secure data-access platform connecting existing databases (both public and private) irrespective of their format all the data remain separate and a list of FAQ is in fact the only data X-Road itself maintains
Lessons learned bull The sustainability of the initiative is associated not only to the
will of policymakers but also connected to an increased user
satisfaction bull A number of national governmentsmdashincluding those of Belgium
Germany Italy and the Netherlands as well as a handful of Middle Eastern countriesmdashhave launched or are planning to
launch e-ID card programs
Key Informants Taimar Peterkop - General Director of the Estonian Informatics Centre
92
STRATEGY FOR
DIGITAL
WELFARE
(SDW)
Country Denmark
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group General population older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social care
Started in 2013
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Danish welfare system is based on a strong social citizenship and a guarantee for social rights in case citizens encounter social
problems such as unemployment or sickness As in other Scandinavian countries social innovation in Denmark
is more about supplementing (or improving) existing public sector-led initiatives rather than substituting them In this respect the public sector is pivotal to determine the success or failure of social innovation and for this reason since 2008 the Danish government recognized the use of ICTs as an opportunity to reform its welfare system thus giving more emphasis to the digital delivery of welfare services
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Solutions for health education and social services ensuring effective provision of public sector services
93
Aim of the initiative The aim of the strategy is to accelerate the use of ICT and welfare
technology in frontline public service delivery in order to achieve both a more cohesive welfare system and greater integration across public administrations It consists of a series of initiatives such as bull The dissemination of telemedicine throughout Denmark which
aims to provide citizens with high quality and coherent patient
care bull The welfare technology in nursing and care which aims to
embed digital technologies in the rehabilitation pathway bull The new digital paths in case processing whose aim is to
improve the use of the municipal electronic health records across various sectors of the health care system as well as
across municipal services areas bull The preconditions for digital welfare which aims at
guaranteeing better clarity and flexibility in the tendering process
Financial Model Central financial model for the core costs but not for the local implementation costs The granting of economic support was
conditional on providing a solid and thorough project assessment of the results and efficiency gains for the participating institutions Some funding has come from the Danish Public Welfare Technology Foundation
Results bull New possibilities for citizens to get more actively involved in the
welfare services provision bull Empowerment of many elderly people to live more
autonomously and with greater quality bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for the overall welfare
system in relation to total cost of delivery For instance approximately 59 million euro for the municipal home care service of 375 million euro over a 5 year period for digital
rehabilitation bull The use of a unique eID even when mobile devices are used
together with a digital data sharing system will help in reducing control time and its inaccuracyfallacies
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the health care system promoting an approach innovation-oriented
Role of ICTs Through the use of ICTs the Danish healthcare system aims at increasing home care and thus reducing hospital care Telemedicine is also expected to help prevent acute deterioration in the condition of patients and reduce the number of admissions ICTs solutions such as MedCom messages ensure effective and rapid coordination when sharing information such as discharge
letters prescriptions and referrals
Lessons learned bull A well-functioning broadband and an adequate access to it
should be considered as a precondition for deploying digital welfare solutions
bull Since SDW helps the welfare system with better budgeting administrative processes and reduction of financial costs it
ensures a greater sustainability of the system bull Out of the 25 initiatives 7 are planning to become developed at
a national level bull However SDW hasnrsquot had the spillover yet between the different
initiatives
Key Informants Susanne Duus ndash Team leader of the Agency for Digitalization of the Ministry of Finance
94
DIGITALIZATI
ON OF
SERVICES IN
INPS
Country Italy
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General populationolder people
Target people reached 16 Million
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy and one of the most important in Europe with a significant cash flow
(about 800 billionyear) and one of the largest portfolio of employment and welfare services delivery
Since 2012 an important integration process with respect to pension schemes and social security has been undertaken and its result is that all the major Italian social security institutions are currently merged into INPS following a ldquoclient pathwayrdquo approach Through the 752010 (Extension and expansion of telematics services offered by INPS to the citizens) and the 1692010 (Full
digitalisation of the submission process of benefits requests) internal notes INPS started a gradual and complex process of digitalization based on a multi-channel system for delivering services by using IT exclusively
95
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digitalization and automation of the relationship between the
Public Administration and citizens in reducing digital divide and improving the accessibility of services
Aim of the initiative Thus the expected results of the initiative Digitalization of services in INPS were bull Improved efficiency of the internal production processes through
the automation of some phases of the investigation leading to a great savings of resources
bull Improved quality of work of staff currently engaged in data-entry activities
bull Reduced time needed to submit applications with benefits for both citizens and the Institute
bull Increased service quality through the improvement of the data quality due to the digitalization of the information (thanks to quality and formal controls of the information directly when inserted)
bull Decreased costs of services arising from the potential savings on paper communication towards citizens
Financial Model Public service funding Government Regional Local Authorities non-profit public entities etc
Results The digitalisation and automation of the service delivery model
brought about a great innovation of the overall Italian social security systems and facilitated the access to INPS services for every citizen bull Modernisation of the Social protection system allowed not only
efficiency gains but also new and more effective monitoring processes
bull Massive increase in usage of the online services Increase in of
user awareness on the services offered and certainty of their expected benefits and acquired rights
bull More standardize service model with respect to quality level thus addressing regional (NorthSouth) inequality of service
Lessons learned bull The next 3 years will see the implementation of a
comprehensive framework of measures to upgrade the services offered by the Institute
bull The deployment of ICTs in the INPS reform has been considered by many stakeholders a great success and a best practice to be scaled up and replicated Indeed
bull INPS is the leader of an international consortium EU-China social protection reform project and will assist the Chinese
government in modernising its social security system
Role of ICTs Reengineering of the service delivery method possible by the use of ICTs which allowed access to servicesproducts without mediation by local offices ICTs played a crucial role for the success of the initiative since
multi-channel digitization dematerialization and offshoring were achievable only through ICT innovation Today all types of INPS services are available online and payable
through multi-channels
Key Informants Antonio De Luca Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Ettore Fusco Deputy Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Patrizia Maria Ester DAndrea and Francesca Arbitrio team leaders within the Planning and Control Central Directorate of INPS
96
EXPRESS TRAIN
TO EMPLOYMENT
(EXTE)
Welfare to Work
programme
Country Poland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Unemployed
Target people reached 1000
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Welfare to Work (W2W) programme was introduced in Poland as a follow-up to the recent Labour Act reform to deal with a
stagnating labour force participation and a fairly high government deficit (33 in 2014 up from the 28 target of 2015)
The Polish Government was under pressure to introduce innovative welfare provisions which could combine a social system approach traditionally more open to public-private partnership and an innovative use of information management for servicesrsquo organization which could maximize efficiency of the system The W2W programme together with innovative data modelling constitutes the bulk of the Express Train to
Employment (ExTE) pilot project which aimed to improve the engagement and activation of long-term unemployed people in the region of Malopolska Conditional to its success the initiative was then to be scaled up and extended to other regions first and the rest of the country later
97
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Labour Act Reform addressing the problem of long-term
unemployment in the Krakow Region
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the ExTE project was to enhance the mechanisms to help reducing the levels of unemployment rates Under this overarching goal the specific objectives were bull Achieving sustainable employment for at least 35 of the
participants bull Raising the employability of participants in the project bull Disseminating information about services offered to those
unemployed bull Establishing partnerships following the British model (W2W) in
order to identify and develop synergies and effective solutions that could then be scaled-up nationally
Results-based financing was one of the main mechanisms used to compensate operators and stakeholders involved in addition
ExTE saw the inclusion of non-public agents that could offer a variety of knowledge and additional resources
Financial Model The initiative driven by a public- private partnership is implemented with the support of the European Social Fund The service model that was used in this initiative is based on the exploitation of the ability of the private sector to find jobs for the
long-term unemployed
Results The pilot program in the region of Krakow reached significant results both in terms of securing employment for participants and uncovering jobs that had not been publicly advertised bull About 66 of registered users found a job within the first 6
month of participation compared to only 20 of individuals in the control group
bull More than half of the participants (52) had at least one job offer vs only 30 workers in the control group
bull The project was more successful in matching individualsrsquo skills
and competences with jobs bull Updated model of outsourcing employment services through
non-public providers bull A framework of legislative recommendations was produced as
results of the model proposed within the initiative with the aim to be included in the Labour Act
bull The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy introduced a series of amendments in the regulations of the labour market including a new system of profiling the unemployed
Role of ICTs ICTs supported and facilitated existing processes contributing to improve the organisational mechanisms of employment service provisions through bull The creation of a new data model to facilitate matching between
demand and supply of workforce
bull The creation of databases enabling a coordinated planning of activities
Lessons learned bull The government is planning to replicate the initiative in other
regions of the country bull The transferability of the model is demonstrated by the fact that
the W2W initiatives are already implemented in Britain Australia
and the Netherlands bull More needs to be done to ensure that participants stay in
employment for longer for instance by providing additional training and education
Key Informants AMartynuska Director Regional Labour Office in Krakow
98
LITTLE BIRD Country Germany
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public-private partnership
Type of initiative Service
Target group Children mothers families
Target people reached 5000 kindergartens
Main PSSGI Childcare
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Similarly to many EU countries Germany incremented its focus on family-friendly policies to promote gender equality and increase
female participation in the labour market by fostering family friendly policies such as extended maternity and paternity leave
Despite recent progress however Germany still lags behind countries such as France Denmark or Sweden which offer a vast range of childcare initiatives and spend a higher proportion of family benefits on services Indeed childcare provision in Germany is still hindered by three main issues gender inequality in the number of hours of care provided high cost of childcare services and shortage of qualified childcare staff
The Little Bird initiative commissioned by the government and implemented by private partners was born to address the management of available resources regarding childcare services It allows the effective and efficient administration of childcare places for parents providers and public administrations
99
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Child care service delivery- providing parents with support in the
kindergarten selection and location process
Aim of the initiative The main objective of Little Bird was to facilitate equal access to infant education to all children through an interactive process that maps out the entire range of administration functions for the allocation of childcare services Its aim was to provide a safe and convenient solution in the region in which it would operate across the boundaries of municipalities in the search allocation and administration of
childcare services In terms of social innovation Little Bird aims to meet the needs of families government public and private providers by monitoring and allocating in a transparent way the kindergarten places of children In terms of ICT innovation Little Bird is a sustained and organizational ICT- enabled social innovation which improves
organizational and administrative processes of the kindergartenrsquos place allocation Providers can plan and monitor their resources on demand families get an overview of all childcare services (privately and publicly owned) and the available vacancies for child care services
Financial Model Public-Private Partnership co-financed by the Investitionbank
Berlin as well as by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Results The platform provides comprehensive information about
institutions childcare facilities and vacancies and provides the necessary transparency to all parts involved It delivered benefits both for the parents and for the municipalities through bull Optimization of the internal administrative processes bull Highly customized childcare services meeting citizens
requirements
bull Reduced response time to the users between application and final outcome
bull Increased cost-effectiveness bull More productive administrative staff bull Better quality of childcare services provided
Role of ICTs Little Bird is Germanyrsquos first eGovernment solution with an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services Through the use of a web application Little Bird centralizes the challenging and tedious process of searching and applying for available local childcare and decentralizes the childcare allocation process throughout
bull ICTs help optimizing the search registration and allocation process while at the same time generating more transparency and better services
Lessons learned bull Little Bird is an innovative example of a public service opening
up to the private sector primarily through the use of a web application
bull Since the solution is only a software product its model can be easily replicated in other contexts All components in the installation are highly modular therefore highly customizable to any local requirement
bull As far as scalability is concerned Little Bird is currently implemented in 60 German municipalities and will be integrated
in other 25 administrations
Key Informants Bernd Klosterkemper Investment Director Ananda Ventures
100
PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE - PES
Country Netherlands
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed (mainly with disabilities)
Target people reached 285 million visitors in 2013
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Dutch Public Employment Service is part of the UWV
(Employee Insurance Agency) and has as a main objective helping
people to find jobs and re-integrate in society through matching supply of work and demand of labour The modernization of the Public Employment Service (PES) in the Netherlands involved the introduction and the optimization of an online environment
(Intranet) which can be used by all employees and managers of UWV WERKbedrijf without any password requirements This management tool is the ldquoMijn Informatie Portaalrsquo
PES recognizes the pivotal need to optimize performance in the area of employment reintegration temporary income and data management and participation of people in work and society
Policy program
supporting the
Employee Insurance Implementation Institution is the public
institution that implements unemployment insurance benefits sickness benefits employment services to the insured people
101
initiative
Aim of the initiative PESrsquo objectives are set in accordance with the government along
with annual agreements and in cooperation with labour market partners like municipalities employers and temporary employment agencies
The core aim is to facilitate the match between supply and demand in the labour market and to support as high a number of citizens as possible to find employment and reintegrate with society The new 2010 Dutch Government established that the new policy on public employment services was going to
bull Empower citizens and employers in the labour market
bull Reduce face to face interaction to 10 of the clients bull Reform the PES so that 90 of the services will be delivered
using digital means and interaction
Financial Model Publicly funded
Results Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online
interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is steadily increasing
The modernisation process has resulted in increased efficiency and accountability at all levels of the PES and in improved outcomes for jobseekers
bull PES exceeded the target for 2013 in terms of the percentage (90) of people claiming benefits through the online platform reaching 95 of the those who use wwwwerknl for unemployment benefits
bull One of the key points of the modernization brought by PES is the accelerated development of the online werknl service for
job seekers
Role of ICTs The initiative contributed significantly to increasing the efficiency
and reliability of data flows
Data are available on national regional sub-regional (lsquoofficersquo) and
individual employee level Every week new data are added Most data are cumulative The technique being used is lsquoOnline Analytical Processingrsquo (OLAP) This technique makes it possible to generate and construct user defined tables with a web-based tool
bull Thanks to the support of ITC tools and the electronic submission and centralization of data the PESrsquo initiative also played a key role in uncovering 65500 violations of the workforce obligations and upon 97400 cases
Lessons learned bull The automation of the process and the higher digitization of
services have made the delivery system financially and socially sustainable
bull Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is
steadily increasing bull Despite the rise of unemployment and the transition to online
services PES was able to stay within their own budget being their regular operating costs 85 lower than what was budgeted for 2013
Key Informants Ronald Van Bekkum UWV Dutch PES
102
POcircLE EMPLOI
100 WEB
Country France
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 63 million subscribers
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background According to the National Reform Program (2014) the national 2020 Target for the Reduction of Poverty and Social Exclusion is
to ldquoreduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 1900000 (baseline year 2007)rdquo
However the economic downturn has prevented the achievement of this target due to rising unemployment rates (up to 102 in 2016 well above its 2008 value of 74) The French Public Employment Service Pocircle Emploi launched a 100 Web initiative to provide free e-support services to jobseekers across France to boost employability and employment The initiative addresses policy goals in the fields of modernizing
social protection systems and implementing active inclusion strategies The 100 Web initiative is part of the ldquoguidedrdquo tutoring provided by Pocircle Emploi in order to better meet the needs of jobseekers personalized employment support services The
103
tutoring is based on the regular support in the job search by
physical telephone conversations or e-mail for those who need regular support The 100 Web services was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Pocircle emploi Strategic Plan 2020 ldquoEnsemble Innovons pour lrsquoEmploirdquo
Aim of the initiative In 2013 Pocircle emploi launched a targeted 100 Web initiative to provide free e-services for jobseekers considered to be quite close to the labour market but in need of support in France 100 Web is embedded in a long-term public strategy of Pocircle Emploi revolving around four areas bull Reinforcing counseling services in order to improve access to job
vacancies
bull Engaging with employers through advisors who inform them
about the services provided by the public sector and external private providers
bull Improving the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers by enhancing physical facilities transparency in processes digital access and access in rural areas
bull Making Pocircle Emploi closer to local needs and realities working
with the State regions and social sector partners
Financial Model The initiative 100 Web is funded by internal resources of Pocircle emploi Pocircle Emploirsquos annual budget funding for interventions and operation and investments were provided by a government contribution of UNEDIC where appropriate grants from local
authorities public bodies and any other income were authorized by regulations
Results bull The service has improved beneficiariesrsquo digital skills and
increased employment opportunities helping to fight digital exclusion reducing social isolation and supporting social
interaction
bull Positive effect on youth inclusion and in the inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations (in particular those living in rural remote or isolated areas) where the initiative aims at improving the access and the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers
Role of ICTs bull Pocircle Emplois web solution is a disruptive transformative
innovation using ICT in the form of an integrated web-based to deliver education training job searching networking and support services for jobseekers and employers in France
bull The ICTs tools contribute to an open process of co-creation of employment and employability e-services based on the interaction between jobseekers and counselors thus enabling
the effective collaboration with the potential employees employers businesses in order to jointly develop implement and adopt employment and employability e-services
Lessons learned bull The 100 Web service was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions
before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015 The future goal is to develop the initiative in a
more comprehensive trying to broaden the audience to which it is addressed
bull The transferability of the initiative is guaranteed by the fact that the digitization strategy of the measures proposed is not associated to French specificities
Key Informants Anne-Leone Campanella and Jean-Philippe Spector Pocircle emploi
104
BADALONA
SERVEIS
ASSISTENCIALS
ndash BSA
Country Spain
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people people with disabilities
Target people reached 2015000 people
Main PSSGI Integrated health- and social care
Started in 2000
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The ageing population and the sustainability of the Catalonian National Public Health System linked to the Social Service System
are some of the factors that motivated the BSA initiative In 2000 the local government of Badalona in Catalonia decided to
merge health and social care provisions into a single organization to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision This at the time unprecedented endeavour of fully integrating under a single governance structure and into a single organization the provision of health and social care ndash from administrative service delivery and clinical perspective ndash faced very serious challenges but gradually the Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)
accomplished that Today it is operational on the full scale and funded entirely by public money it has about 1200 employees who provide integrated health and social care and manages home care for the inhabitants of the City of Badalona roughly 215 thousand people
105
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Integration of social and healthcare policy
Aim of the initiative The main aim of the initiative was to improving efficiency and quality of care provision while at the same time better addressing unmet needs and overall ensuring continuity of care by eliminating overlapping and duplication in services The integration of health and social care would also bull Be organised around the person and provided by a team of
multi-disciplinary professionals
bull Generate a better coordinated more efficient and simplified governance at the City council
Financial Model BSA is an integrated private care organisation entirely funded by public capital Public Insurance pays for health services while the municipality budget covers social care
Results The initiative contributed to the following improvements
bull better coordination between the different levels of care bull better communication and information flows among BSA
providers and other third parties providers in and around Badalona
bull improvements in the organisational and decision making
processes bull a portfolio of innovative services including telemonitoring and
telecare services bull a higher level of quality of care with greater control and better
results for the population bull more efficient care delivery and the modernisation and
improvement of services bull early discharge from hospitals reduced workload for the staff
reduced care costs for the city council
Role of ICTs Operationally the ICT-solutions made it possible to bull merge the organisations
bull harmonise processes needs assessment protocols and care
provision bull interlink the databases and bull plan track and evaluate the operations of the new entity
providing integrated care bull Nevertheless planning creating launching and operating the
harmonised approach were a gradual process
Lessons learned bull The sustainability and scalability of the initiative can be better
ensured by the structured involvement of third sector providers such as volunteer organisations NGOs patient associations etc Such stakeholders can help in filling the gap arising from the lack of public investments and play a crucial role in providing the right cultural environment
bull The initiative is likely to be scalable and transferable since it has been designed taking this dimension into consideration from the very beginning However they may be funding issues In
addition there are some legacy systems that are unique there but overall others can learn from their experiences
bull In order to pursue feasible and reliable innovation patters it is crucial to identify appropriate partners to cooperate with For
instance European funded projects are a great environment to meet relevant and committed partners
Key Informants Jordi Piera - CIO and RampDampI Officer at BSA
106
ACTION
(ASSISTING
CARERS USING
TELEMATICS
INTERVENTIONS TO
MEET OLDER
PEOPLErsquoS NEEDS)
Country Sweden
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public Private
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 1997
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Swedish welfare for older people involves three levels of government
bull National level policy priorities and directives are discussed and passed
bull Regional level county councils are responsible for providing healthcare
bull Local level municipalities are responsible for providing the bulk of social services and housing needs for older people
Care for the elderly is characterized by the key role played by local authorities which decide on how best to organize the provision Private care services accounted for 24 of all elderly
people getting home help in 2013 however privatization of the health care services in Swedish municipalities has steadily increased In Sweden community care policy is based on the principle of ldquoageing in placerdquo which assumes that the majority of older people
107
would prefer to remain in their own homes ICT services can help
to improve the flexibility of caregiver support as well as the quality of life of older family carers by easing their burden helping them to stay healthier and improving the quality of the care they provide
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
ACTION is a knowledge based initiative supporting elderly people and carers and social Inclusion
Aim of the initiative ACTION was an EU-funded research and development technology project that aimed to help informal carers to meet older peoplersquos needs by using Telematics (ACTION) (1997ndash2000) The overall objective of ACTION is to act as a support system It has four main integrated components bull Multi-media educational programmes based on the needs of
carers and older people
bull ACTION station A personal computer with Internet connection
used to make oral and visual contact with the families of other participants and care practitioners
bull ACTION call centre It is used to maintain regular contact with families to ensure that care for the older person is satisfactorily managed
bull Education and supervision Families take part in an initial
education programme which teaches them how to use the ICT-based service The call centre staff runs small group education sessions which enable participants to get acquainted with each other and subsequently initiate videophone contact
Financial Model This service was initially funded through the Fourth Framework
Programme (1997-2000) and was coordinated by the University of Borarings Since 2000 research development and evaluation have been funded by different grants and the municipalities finance the service by buying it from ACTION
Results The benefits of the initiative have been demonstrated by a
number of studies
bull Both the older people and their family carers said their everyday quality of life was enhanced They became less isolated and more socially included
bull Informal carers were also more independent in their tasks and responsibility they felt more competent and they reported better health and lower stress levels
bull The service had the effect of decreasing healthcare costs while
maintaining a high standard of service and boosting the sustainability of the health and social care systems Cost savings estimated at euro23256 per family
Role of ICTs bull ACTIONrsquos capacity of effectively using ICT-enabled social
innovation has produced significant changes in the carersrsquo lives
by helping to reduce their work-load and their responsibilities for the older person
bull It has increased the monitoring and counselling provided to the
family carers by professional carers bull It has also increased self-management and empowered the
users through specifically designed online courses and by sharing information on caring best practices in real time These
services are readily accessible by family carers from home
Lessons learned bull In 2004 ACTION became a mainstream service in the Borarings
municipality in 2012 25 other municipalities tested the system but did not implement it because they lacked resources
bull The ACTION project has a high level of standardization and can
be easily implemented by other Member States
Key Informants Lennart Magnusson - Director of Swedish family care center
108
SOUTH KARELIA
DISTRICT OF
SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES
(EKSOTE)
Country Finland
Strength of Evidence Weak
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Older people (aged 75+) carers
Target people reached 31000
Main PSSGI Integrated Health and Social Care
Started in 2010
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Before the EKSOTE programme started operating in 1996 hospitals in the region were significantly overloaded This had a
negative impact on the quality of the service provided particularly for disabled and elderly people whose access to follow-up care
was badly managed The previous governance system of social care provision was plagued with recurrent delays and coordination issues The Finnish health care system is structured around municipality-based units which have assumed responsibility for primary care and region-based units which absolve other functions related to health care organization and coordination with the national level
In 1997 the AQP (AssessQualify-Place ) operations units centralized patient follow-up care in order to speed up the process of allocating this type of care to patients who had been discharged from the central hospital In 2010 EKSOTE started to manage all the social and health care services in nine municipalities With the
109
implementation of EKSOTE the traditional division between
primary and secondary care structures disappeared (at least in the EKSOTE municipalities) As compared to traditional ways of delivering social security services EKSOTE places a higher priority on assessing service needs and providing advisory and instructional services in alternative forms For example it has put in place a mobile and
internet health service network (an ICT-enabled social innovation)
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Finnish country wide ICT policy also related to the European Digital Agenda
Aim of the initiative The objective of EKSOTE was to improve the coordination among social service providers and improve the quality of service It also aimed to provide equal access to social and health care
services to all citizens in the region it operates in across the
boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care process
Financial Model Public funding By spending on rehabilitation and preventive action South Karelia has been able to achieve better cost effectiveness
Results The improved integration and coordination of social services provision has brought the following benefits bull improvement of access and take-up bull simplification of administration bull better targeted and personalised services
bull cost-effectiveness of social services which meet the needs of citizens
Role of ICTs EKSOTE implemented a process of digitalization in the South Karelia Region starting from 2010 bull Thanks to its innovative use of a centralized placement service
(AssessQualify-Place or AQP) it has contributed to better
targeted more appropriate and personalized quality service bull In addition to AQP another fundamental feature of EKSOTE is
the creation of the Business Intelligence Model (BIM)Data for BIM are collected from several sources and can be used to predict demand service planning user analysis and the calculation of indicators
bull The EKSOTE BIM plays an important role for the management
system in social and health care system as it allows the common and regional indicators to combine the user groups and measure the usage of services and especially to report and analyse the data classified in a new way
Lessons learned bull The initiative has been considered a best practice and the
government the piloting system takes advantage of components that are already in use in most social and healthcare sector organizations and does not require major hardware or software investments or any changes to the overall
system architecture bull EKSOTE has been promoted by the Finnish government which is
trying to scale out the initiative to a nationwide level In this
respect many municipalities are visiting EKSOTE office so as to study the initiative and replicate it within their territories
bull The methodology underpinning the initiative shows a high degree of transferability of the experience to other European contexts
Key Informants Merja Tepponen - Chief Development Officer of Health and Social care Department
110
PATHWAY
ACCOMMODATION
AND SUPPORT
SYSTEM (PASS)
Country Ireland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Homeless
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social housing
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is a complex social problem and there is no simple solution The primary need of homeless people is appropriate long‐term housing In conjunction with this need for housing
many homeless people also have physical health mental health
addiction andor other support needs that must be addressed in order for them to be able to stop being homeless In Ireland the health services and local authorities share responsibility for the provision of shelter support and housing for homeless people The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 addresses the needs of homeless citizens in Ireland and outlines a statutory
obligation for local authorities to have an action plan and to set up a Homelessness Consultative Forum and a Statutory Management Group The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has overall responsibility for the planning development and coordination of
111
homeless and related housing and support services in the Dublin
region and is responsible for the statutory funding across the spectrum of services that comprise the Pathway to Home model of service
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
National Homeless Strategy The Way Home
Aim of the initiative PASS is a client management system for homeless service users
that also aims to provide to the public authorities and other stakeholders involved statistical information on homelessness and use of related services in order to bull monitor the effectiveness of the strategy bull identify emerging trends related to homelessness bull monitor and improve service delivery helping the agencies to
work together to provide a continuum of care and integrate
service delivery
bull plan the development of future services
Financial Model The PASS System is financed by DRHE resources from two main sources i) Section 10 funding from Central Government (DECLG) to local authorities under the 1998 Housing Act combined with a
contribution (at 10) of funding directly from each local authorityrsquos revenue streams and ii) the Health Service Executive - a central funder of homeless services in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programmes
Results bull PASS has allowed DRHE to increase efficiency of bed occupancy
to a rate of 99 of capacity by sharing information between all the agencies that support homeless people
bull DRHErsquos initial target to create 700 tenancies in 2014 was exceeded and 792 tenancies were created
bull According to the Homeless Authority of Dublin the PASS
platform can effectively support the decision-making process on
capital investment in housing provision bull Access to real-time data has allowed authorities and other
stakeholders providing services to the homeless to deliver higher quality services to respond effectively to the target usersrsquo needs and to optimize financial and human resources
Role of ICTs ICT-enabled social innovation has produced substantial
improvements in the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the social service delivery models It has played a dual role bull As an enabling factor as it facilitates a better cost-effective
partnership between all public and private stakeholders involved in the process of delivering social housing services
bull As a ldquogame-changer access to real-time data helps all actors
involved (public and private) to understand analyse and respond in a qualitatively better and more cost-efficient way
Lessons learned bull In terms of scalability PASS will be developed to become a new
lsquocloudrsquo technological computing system bull Further development of a specific data strategy is needed in
order to ensure the success of this initiative at national level
Key Informants Daacuteithiacute Downey Deputy Director Head of Policy and Service Delivery Dublin Region Homeless Executive Ireland
112
TELECARE
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME IN
SCOTLAND (TDP)
Country United Kingdom (Scotland)
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Regional (National)
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group Older people
Target people reached 45000
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 2006 (ended in 2011)
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background In Scotland a growing incidence of disability and long-term illness brought about the requirement for health and care service
support Between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 the Scottish Governmentrsquos expenditure on the people aged 60 and over
increased by 5 per annum in real terms to pound51 billion a year The Scottish government established that care of frailer older people with continuing health problems should focus on better support for them at home To this end it focused strongly on the development of telecare and telehealth The Scottish Telecare Development Programme (TDP) was a funding initiative run by Scottish Government between 2006 and
2011 to drive the adoption of telecare by local health and social care services The strategy was to stimulate Scottish local partnerships to redesign existing home care services with a two-step funding programme The main actors comprised the housing and social care departments of the Local Authorities and the local
113
NHS Boards that represent the health care professionals in charge
of community-based health service provisioning Together they promoted and designed the telecare initiative to be funded by the National Government and helped drive its implementation in the local contexts The Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT) was established to support and guide the development of telehealth and telecare throughout Scotland
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) for Scotland was launched in August 2006 as a policy initiative
Aim of the initiative The objective of the TDP funding initiative was to stimulate the 32 Scottish local health and care partnerships (made up of local Health Boards and Local Authorities) to develop and mainstream telecare services Its main objectives could be summarized as follows
bull Increase the productivity of social protection systems and of
healthcare delivery including formal and informal care bull Increase the sustainability of the social protection system
particularly by reducing the number of avoidable admissions to care homes
bull Increase the quality of services for both carers and users bull Support system integration
bull Reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty and disability among older people through disease prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
bull Facilitate hospital discharge bull Increase self-care and independent living at home
Financial Model Two-step funding programme in 2006-2008 awarded to the initiatives that addressed the specification of the bid in 2008-2011 to the initiatives which were satisfactorily developed Development support was also offered through the Scottish Governmentrsquos Joint Improvement Team (JIT) to those
partnerships that were not progressing as planned
Results The TDPrsquos effects were comprehensively assessed throughout the programme bull Informal carers felt that telecare had reduced pressurestress
and facilitated greater independence for users bull 60 of users reported improvements to their quality of life bull Patients were discharged faster from hospital while the number
of emergency admissions was reduced
bull The single biggest saving was coming from the avoided care home admissions estimated cost savings for the sector of approximately euro 954 million at 2011 prices
bull Telecare could efficiently address the special caring needs of people living with dementia
Role of ICTs bull ICTs played an important role in the deployment and
mainstreaming of the services across Scottish territory interoperability problems constituted important barriers to the
development and sustainability of the services
Lessons learned bull In the more successful TDP initiatives now mainstreamed in
their local communities Community Health Partnerships played
a fundamental role in ensuring cooperation bull Considering the high initial investment costs the replication and
expansion of the initiative to similar contexts is regarded as a key factor for its sustainability
Key Informants Donna Henderson European Engagement Manager Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and Telecare NHS 24 Doreen Watson Telecare Consultant Joint Improvement Team Scottish Government
114
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to your questions about the European Union
Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 () The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may
charge you)
More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
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ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8
4
Methodology
Once completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds 50 promising cases out of the 300 initiatives identified by the IESI
mapping exercise have been selected The criteria used for the selection included
geographical coverage representativeness of the different welfare systems coverage of all
the relevant thematic areas (derived from a revisited typology of PSSGI)
representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders (public private and third
sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis Through the first step each initiative was analysed
according to two criteria (relevance and complexity) in order to capture its potential
systemic impact This allowed giving a numerical score to different sub-parameters for
each of the 50 initiatives Through the second step of the selection process the IESI
analytical framework has been applied While the ICT-enabled innovation potential was
used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo
cluster (incremental and sustained innovation) and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster
(disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of governance of service integration was
used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with the highest level of governance)
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis The figure below
shows the geographic coverage of the analysed case studies
In each case we analysed the main social innovation elements the potential for ICT-
enabled innovation the levels of governance and type of service integration the impact
evaluation carried out and the degree of sustainability and possible transferability
5
Results
The case studies provide useful insights into the factors that have been critical to an
initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social innovation They also show how
these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of the Social Investment
Package
With regard to the first SIPs objective ie modernizing social protection systems
spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable protection
many initiatives by building a collaborative innovation network between public agencies or
departments reshaped the governance model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach In particular the exploitation of ICTs generated new
public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the
traceability of information flows and the fight against fraud The contribution ICTs make to
the modernization of social protection system lies mainly in their ability to minimize the
administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
With regard to the second SIPs objective ie implementing active inclusion strategies
investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve their integration into society and the
labour market the combination of employment information management and ICT training
allows the production process of services to be redesigned This can improve integration
opportunities within society and also help to include disadvantaged people into the labour
market The integration of services enabled by the use of ICTs empowers people
especially the homeless older people and the more fragile by improving their skills and
ability to live independently at home or to find jobs It also helps to improve the quality of
life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their caregivers Moreover equal access to
social and health care services for all citizens across the boundaries of municipalities
directly increases the inclusiveness of social protection systems
With regard to the third SIPs objective ie investing in individuals throughout their lives
ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments
during their lives it has been recognised that skills and active inclusion strategies offering
psycho-social support can boost beneficiariesrsquo motivation and respond to their needs at
critical moments in their lives Moreover ICTs can often contribute to changing service
delivery models making them more beneficiary-centric They can also reduce the risk of
unsuitable or undue benefits by formulating innovative responses to peoples changing
needs They can also personalize services which is especially important in the field of
employment support services Here they can improve the match between job demand and
offer and also aggregate job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations
The case study analysis allowed us to spot some major social issues in which ICTs can
offer ndash and indeed are already offering ndashimportant support without structural or wider
reforms The analysis showed that ICTs can help to modernise social protection systems
mainly by contributing to the sustainability of welfare systems
Some of the cases analysed demonstrate that ICTs contribute to solving the structural
imbalance between emerging and growing social needs and the decreasing or limited
financial resources available In particular the use of ICTs can help social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected by
different health and social conditions and require multiple services technological
advances have made it possible to link information across programme areas and to
identify individuals with complex needs and hence target them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used to
having access to information and services through web and mobile devices new
digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with service
providers across a range of industries including the social services and more generally
the welfare area
6
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour market
participation of all members of the working-age population a new wave of welfare-to-
work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments trying to reduce
demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from finding sustained
employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and demand
Handle budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to widespread public
sector austerity measures in many developed economies these pressures mean that
service integration and optimisation are becoming increasingly attractive options for
governments looking for higher cost effectiveness in service delivery allocating higher
percentages of resources and incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated to
the most effective and efficient initiatives they must be scaled up or transferred to
other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics functionalities allow to
leverage the evidence collected and better allocate resources on the basis of the
specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information regarding the
policy interventions undertaken and its results this data can then be shared in order
to inform policy makers and support the decision making process to develop or adapt
future policies
Policy and research implications
The results of the cross-analysis of case studies allowed us to define a set of policy
implications that can help policy makers to drive social change
In order to reap all the benefits of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives some
contextual and complementary policy initiatives are needed This mainly points to the need
of addressing required administrative changes and financial support initiatives especially
in the perspective of a more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social
innovation
Most of the case studies confirmed that ICTs are a crucial but not sufficient condition for
ICT-enabled social innovation to fully realise its potential Other enabling factors must
come into play for instance
Workforce development the empowerment of workers and job seekers requires
investment in their skills and competences They must also be given new and flexible
ways of participating in the labour market Employers and public institutions must
invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation working groups They must also
envisage joint training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and
fill any skills gaps that may arise This requires the creation of new roles and a review
of existing jobs to adapt them to the changing environment and the evolving needs of
the workforce
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third sector
providers should be promoted and the development of innovative initiatives
facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for the integration and
scaling up of these practices into actual processes
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms seem to be efficient in
promoting coordinated interventions to address common and shared social problems
in an outcome-oriented approach Other financial schemes such as acutepersonal
budgetsacute produce effective incentives because they enable users and case managers
to freely purchase the desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they
foster the creation of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are
closer to the needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms could encourage
integration and collaboration among different service providers
7
Finally the introduction of ICTs should be combined with the re-engineering of
organizational structures and a cultural shift towards embracing social innovation In
particular these two further directions are related to the simplification of services
procedures through an open-government approach and the use of the European Structural
and Investment Funds to further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector
With regard to the simplification of procedures the increase in information and knowledge
exchange and in openness and transparency provide new opportunities for public
administrations to offer user-friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs
and the administrative burden An open government approach can encourage this
transformation by opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration in the
design production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and decisions
enhance transparency accountability and trust in government
With respect to the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to further
finance ICT-based developments in the social sector it should be considered that National
and regional authorities are in charge of defining their strategies and operational
programmes for enhancing territorial development and social cohesion which form the
basis for delivering EU structural funds Local institutions can play a proactive role in both
the allocation of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-
financing requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another strengthening knowledge
exchange across the EU
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect future research directions
Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes has also
been recognised as a strategy in support of social policy innovation initiatives and it could
be interesting to explore this further since it could offer the policy maker new
organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business models effectively
contribute to social change
Therefore it is important to answer the question whether social policy innovation
strategies especially ICT-enabled ones can be embedded in policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other terms it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular can be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox At the same
time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies will not be the
panacea for all welfare state challenges rather one of the social protection layers of future
welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the modernisation of welfare
systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as supplementary
minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits schemes
Nevertheless and according to the results of this research social policy innovation
initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an important role represent an important
means of modernising social protection systems ICTs need to be used as part of a broader
strategy designed and led by the public sector which becomes an even more important
actor and will also take on the task of coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
8
1 Introduction
11 Policy background
The 2008 crisis and the growing inequalities which followed have highlighted the
limitations of the current European social and welfare model Policymakers have tackled
the economic and societal challenges by redistributing resources through the taxation
system and granting special benefits to those in need however at the same time they
acknowledge that the European Social Model needs to be modernised
Many experts have proposed new ideas and new solutions for the challenges faced by
European welfare systems This general rethinking of prevailing socio-economic views and
perspectives has led to the emergence of two interrelated quasi-concepts social
investment and social innovation In spite of their theoretical and conceptual limitations
these terms have proven to be powerful tools for shaping policy outcomes
This trend was enhanced at EU level by the adoption of the Social Investment Package
(SIP)1 in 2013 The EC Communication Towards Social Investment for Growth and
Cohesion2 calls for social services to be designed fairly in a thoughtful and personalized
manner so as to provide equal access to those entitled In addition the SIP
Communication urges EU Member States to prioritise social investment and the
modernisation of their welfare systems in order to address unemployment poverty and
social exclusion brought about by the economic crisis and also the challenges to the
sustainability of social welfare systems posed by an ageing population
The SIP focuses on social innovation (Jenson 2015) as a means of providing ways of
improving the efficiency and adequacy of social policies and their effectiveness in
addressing societal challenges It also facilitates life-long investment in human capital The
European Commission has already emphasized the importance of embedding social
innovation in policy-making processes and connecting innovation policy to priorities It has
paid particular attention to the appropriate use of EU funds to support the implementation
of successful policy innovation (EU 2013 Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) It is
recognised that the potential of social innovation is further increased by the growing range
of available innovative solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) However it seems that ICT-based solutions only materialize rapidly on the ground
when specific efforts are made to encourage their use in social innovation
12 The IESI Research
In this context the European Commissions DG Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
(DG EMPL) and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre joined forces to conduct
a research project entitled ICT-enabled Social Innovation in support to the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
The key goal of IESI is to support the implementation of the EU Social Investment Package
(SIP) by investigating how ICT-enabled Social Innovation can support social investment
policies3
1 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council the European and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion See httpeceuropaeusocialmainjspcatId=1044
2 EC COM (2013) 83 httpeur-lexeuropaeulegal-contentENTXTuri=CELEX52013DC0083 3 For a more detailed presentation of the IESI conceptual and analytical framework including the definition of
ICT-enabled social innovation developed as part of this research and the concept of Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) see the previous Deliverables available of the IESI Projects website httpseceuropaeujrceniesi and the JRC Science and Policy Report (Misuraca et al 2015)
9
More specifically the IESI research project aims to
i provide a better understanding of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled
social innovation to implement the actions suggested in the SIP
ii contribute to building the evidence base needed for social policy innovation by
gathering knowledge analysing initiatives and raising awareness about successful
experiences implemented in EU Member States
iii develop a methodological framework of analysis of the impacts - from micro to
macro level - generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which promote
social investment
The research results are expected to enhance the understanding of how ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives contribute to better targeting benefits and services improving the
management provision and coordination of services designing high-quality and cost-
effective services which meet the needs of citizens and supporting access to and take-up
of social services for instance by enabling simpler procedures providing better and more
targeted information or allowing the development of one-stop-shops
With regard to the scope of the research the starting point of the analysis is to identify
the Personal Social Services of General Interest (PSSGI) ie the services that respond to
vital human needs fight discrimination and create equal opportunities4 More specifically
the focus of the research is the analysis of policy-relevant initiatives related to integrated
approaches to social services provision and hence the study of how they contribute to
achieving some of the priorities defined in the SIP objectives
The IESI three-year research project was designed according to three interrelated Work
Packages namely Systematic mapping (WP1) Methodological framework of analysis of
impacts (WP2) and Thematic analysiscase studies (WP3) as illustrated in Figure 1 below
Figure 1 Research Design
Source own elaboration
4 According to Misuraca et al 2015 PSSGI have been classified through the following typologies (1)
Childcare (2) Education and training (3) Social assistance (4) Social care (5) Social housing (6) Employability (7) Employment (8) Social inclusionparticipation (9) Civic engagement (10) Active and healthy ageing and long-term care
10
Considerable effort was dedicated during the research especially in the IESI Thematic
analysiscase studiesrdquo Work Package (WP3) to studying the role and impact that ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social investment may have on the
modernisation of the following aspects of the Member Statesrsquo social protection systems
(1) Social SecurityEmployment (2) Social Inclusion and Participation (3) Active and
Healthy Ageing
Data were collected on a number of relevant examples of initiatives (cases) across the EU
The aim was to analyse the services provided in each case by various stakeholders and
intermediaries from the public private and third sectors with a specific focus on their role
and relationships At the same time the research aimed to better understand the nature
and impact of ICT-enabled social innovation in support of social investment its drivers
barriers and determinants and the various diffusion paths that characterise each of the
above mentioned thematic areas The case study approach allowed us to gather important
insights from both the cross-case analysis and the thematic analysis
13 This report
This report presents the results of the analysis of relevant ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives identified across the EU It explores the relationships between different
typologies of implemented ICT-enabled social innovation and the social protection system
in which they are embedded It also assesses the potential impact of ICT-enabled social
innovation initiatives promoting social investment on the modernisation of social protection
systems in EU Member States More precisely the analysis seeks to determine what the
main drivers and barriers for the modernisation of social protection systems are and what
specific impacts are generated by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives promoting social
investment
Thus the main research questions addressed by the case studies are
What role do ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives play in supporting social
investment policies in modernising social services
What enabling factors in social investments and social innovations contribute to
enhancing social protection policies especially in times of crisis And what are the
barriers
The analyses presented in this report support the evidence on the contribution of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives which promote social investment for the modernisation
of social protection systems to the implementation of the EU SIP Therefore the cases
studied here also provide a snapshot of the state of deployment of social investment
policies which aim to facilitate the implementation of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives to encourage the modernisation of social services and welfare system in Europe
This report is structured as follows
Chapter 1 introduces the background and rationale of the project the overall
objectives and outlines the structure of this report
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the general methodology followed for the
literature review selection of the case studies and cross-case analysis
Chapter 3 presents key findings from the review of the state of the art which
focuses on ICT-enabled social innovation in EU social protection systems and social
services delivery models
Chapter 4 presents an overview of the case studies structured along the main
relevant dimensions of the research
Chapter 5 presents the cross-cases analysis illustrated with examples from the
activities key results and challenges of the initiatives
Chapter 6 presents the key findings the conclusions of the study future research
challenges and policy implications
11
2 Methodology
21 Research design
The key goal of the analysis of case studies which formed part of the IESI research design
was to provide evidence of successful andor promising ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives implemented around Europe to support the modernisation of social protection
systems This enabled us to assess the extent of the contribution of ICT-enabled social
innovation to the implementation of the SIP
More specifically the case studies aimed to
Provide evidence of how EU Member States can use ICT-enabled social innovation
to implement the actions suggested in the SIP in order to modernize their social
protection systems
Contribute to a better understanding of the impact of social policies by studying
promising initiatives The initiatives selected aimed to simplify processes and better
target benefits and services improve management design high-quality and cost-
effective services and identify effective channels of public value distribution
In order to achieve the above objectives five steps were undertaken
i An inception analysis was carried out in order to define the methodology that would
be used to conduct the research activities (ie a review of the state of the art and
the selection of the case studies for in-depth analysis) The inception analysis also
reviewed the data gathering tools to be used
ii A comprehensive review of the state of the art in modernising social protection
systems was completed The review comprised relevant literature policies
theoretical approaches and the level of service provision amongst the different EU
countries It also collected and documented promising initiatives across the EU
Specific emphasis was given to the role played by ICTs as well as its barriers and
enablers
iii We tried to understand the role played by ICTs in these social innovations and the
provision of these services as both enablers and game-changers (Misuraca et al
2015) This phase aimed to identify relevant examples of the application of ICT-
enabled social innovation to support the modernisation of social protection systems
in the EU Basic data and documentation were gathered on 50 potential examples
representing the 5 types of welfare systems and illustrating the 10 PSSGI areas
included in the SIP
For each of the 50 examples identified a short case description providing the
context objectives activities main results and impacts was included In addition a
typology of ICT-enabled social innovation services and impacts was developed
Based on the knowledge gathered we established some criteria for the selection of
case studies
iv Based on the results of the previous steps the most promising cases among the 50
were selected for further in-depth analysis
v We analysed both the data obtained through desk research and the qualitative data
collected through in-depth interviews with representatives of the organizations
involved in the selected cases including beneficiaries and other relevant
stakeholders In each case study we investigated how ICT-enabled social
innovation is being or has been implemented We looked at what results have
been achieved in terms of SIP objectives return on investments and impact areas
In addition a cross-case analysis was also carried out which included discussion of
the potential implications for policies at local national and EU level and with
specific regard to the SIP objectives
12
22 Literature review
A dedicated literature review was deemed necessary to help us select initiatives that would
provide relevant insights into achieving the IESI objectives described earlier ie
a) explore the relationships between different typologies of implemented ICT-enabled
social innovation and the social protection system in which they are embedded and
b) assess the potential impact of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives which
promote social investment on the modernisation of social protection systems in EU
Member States
The literature review investigated the state of the art in the modernisation of social
protection systems in Europe in order to identify the main elements that characterise the
landscape in which ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives had been implemented This
included a review of relevant scientific literature policies theoretical approaches and the
level and types of service provision in EU countries and of grey literature such as policy
documents and reports by practitioners administrative sources and official statistical
reports
We considered the main features of the socio-economic context such as the relationships
between social innovation and social protection systems the relationships between social
protection systems and welfare systems and the role of services integration and social
protection system
23 Case studies
231 Selection of initiatives
Having completed the literature review which provided the contextual data in which social
innovation unfolds we then selected 50 promising cases These were chosen from the
initiatives identified by the IESI mapping exercise and additional ad-hoc searches
The criteria used for the selection included geographical coverage representativeness of
the different welfare systems coverage of all the relevant thematic areas (derived from a
revisited typology of PSSGI) representativeness of the different typologies of stakeholders
(public private and third sector) and maturity or sustainability of the initiative
A structured two-step selection process was devised in order to shortlist a sub-set of
initiatives for further analysis
Step 1 Multi-criteria analysis
Taking the data collected on the 50 initiatives as input we used a ranking model based on
the multi-criteria methodology shown in Figure 2 below Each initiative was in fact
analysed according to the two criteria of relevance and complexity in order to capture its
potential systemic impact This allowed us to give a numerical score to different sub-
parameters for each of the 50 initiatives identified
Step 2 Applying the IESI analytical framework
As shown in Figure 3 the IESI analytical framework from the IESI Knowledge Map
(Misuraca et al 2015) was then used to further assess the initiatives While the ICT-
enabled innovation potential was used as a clustering factor ndash choosing initiatives
belonging to both the ICT as an enablerrdquo cluster (incremental and sustained innovation)
and ICT as a game changerrdquo cluster (disruptive and radical innovation) ndash the level of
governance of service integration was used as a ranking factor (choosing initiatives with
the highest level of governance)
13
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology
Source own elaboration
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework
Source own elaboration
Based on the scores obtained in Step 1 and having applied the selection criteria in Step 2
a final ranking of cases was obtained A final check was performed to ensure that the 5
different welfare systems and all PSSGI services were represented fairly and a sub-set of
14 most promising cases was selected for further in-depth analysis
232 Analysis of case studies
The analysis of the selected case studies followed three main methodological steps (i)
desk research (ii) interviews and (iii) case development and analysis The desk research
focused on technical documents publications and reports produced by policy makers
researchers and academics and also surveys undertaken by consultants and international
experts The aim was to obtain specific and reliable data about the context and the impact
of each of the initiatives under analysis and to identify and select relevant key informants
RELEVANCE
COMPLEXITY
Dimension of initiative
Impact strength of initiative
Level of reference of the
initiative
Level of effectiveness
Degree of integration
across multiple social services
Level of stakeholders partecipation
Level of integration of the
initiative
LocalRegional - 1National - 2
Transnational - 3
Productivity improvement- 1Operational change - 2New delivery system - 3
Seldom project references- 1Qualitative project references - 2
Good project references - 3
1 ndash 2 SIP Objectives impacted- 13 ndash 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 2gt 4 SIP Objectives impacted - 3
1 ndash 2 Social Services impacted- 13 ndash 4 Social Services impacted - 2gt 4 Social Services impacted - 3
Public or Private or Third Sector- 1
PublicPrivate or PublicThird Sector or PrivateThird Sector - 2
PublicPrivateThird Sector - 3
Isolated- 1Intra governmental or Inter-governmental 2
Inter-sectorial or Pervasive - 3
SCORE ATTRIBUTIONRULES IN THE
PROCESS MODEL
14
Each interview was based on the gaps identified by the desk research and tailored to the
type of stakeholder to be addressed in order to improve the quality of the data already
gathered Besides providing input for the case reports and the case study analysis this
exercise also contributed to improving the IESI Knowledge Map and the related data
validation process (see IESI analytical framework)5
The subsequent cross-case analysis built on two different and relevant components On
the one hand particular attention was paid to descriptive components such as the type of
initiatives area of social services covered location scale of implementation operational
funding target users stakeholders involved and partnerships built around the initiatives
On the other hand a significant effort was dedicated to identifying the factors that
generate impact social innovation elements ICT-enabled innovation potential levels of
governance integration and type of service integration The analytical framework adopted
for the cross-case analysis takes into consideration the coverage of different elements
which are important for clustering the initiatives as illustrated in Figure 4
Figure 4 Analytical framework
Source own elaboration
The methodology followed to select the cases took into account the level of governance of
service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential they presented The cross-
case analysis focused on the remaining two dimensions of the IESI analytical framework
ie types of service integration6 and elements of social innovation7 (see Misuraca et al
2015)
5 Clearly the sample of initiatives gathered at this stage of the research was not statistically representative of
the universe of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives for the modernisation of social protection systems not only because of its limited size but also because the overall population is unknown Nevertheless it represents a substantial effort towards providing a better and more structured understanding of the field the
critical success factors of policies in that field common patterns and emerging trends 6 According to Misuraca et al 2015 building on Kodner 2009 the integration might be at funding
administrative organisational or delivery system levels More precisely funding integration might be due to the use of funds coming from different sources (eg different public bodies PPPs etc) Administrative integration may be achieved through consolidationdecentralisation of responsibilities andor functions inter-sectorial planning needs assessment or joint purchasing Organisational integration might happen through co-location of services interagency planning contracting strategic alliances or networks building Finally delivery system integration can be achieved through case management informative cooperation multi-disciplinary teamwork etc
7 According to Misuraca et al (2015) building on Bekkers et al (2013) social innovation elements may be described conceptually as (i) needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production (ii) an open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks (iii) a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders and (iv) public value allocation andor re-allocation The IESI research considers and describes where ICTs play a crucial role in the generation of public value (Public value creation) andor in the public value distribution (Public sector social services provision)
15
3 Review of the state of the art
31 Social protection systems in Europe
311 Social investment trends
Since the 80s expenditure has increased mainly on old age insurance and pensions
(Nikolai 2012) However expenditure on education and training family and child benefits
health prevention or active labour market policy has not changed significantly despite
efforts by the European Commission and the advantages associated with the adoption of a
social investment perspective As a result the portfolio of services offered in EU Member
States is inadequate to address current societal challenges In fact the financial gap
between what is needed to address societal challenges and actual social investment in
public services delivery at existing employment levels was estimated by Accenture and
Oxford Economics to reach around $1600 billion in 2025 across 10 countries with a gap of
30 billion for Italy (13 of GDP in 2025) and 170 billion for the UK (54 of GDP)
(2013)
The ESPN Thematic Reports on Social Investment per country 20158 provides insights into
social investment and results at national level For instance Nordic and Anglo-Saxon
countries especially Finland and Ireland present the clearest cases of one-stop-shop
initiatives even if these are still under development The integration of social services
provision in these welfare models is at its most advanced - especially in Sweden and in the
United Kingdom Of the continental countries the Netherlands is the most advanced in
that field together with France Belgium and Luxembourg However the shortage of
resources following the economic crisis is expected to negatively affect the performance of
social service delivery processes in these countries in the mid- to long-term In contrast
harmonization is lacking in some continental countries like Austria and Germany and also
in Denmark (a Nordic Country)
This lack of coordination also exists in most Mediterranean and Central-Eastern European
countries In addition the situation in the latter is expected to worsen because of the
shortage of economic and financial resources straining public administrations and in turn
their capability to afford quality social services delivery Underperforming social services
are common in Mediterranean countries (eg Cyprus Malta and Greece) and in the
Central-Eastern European countries (eg Poland Romania Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic) Croatia and Slovenia are exceptions and represent positive examples of
reforming countries in Central-Eastern Europe Indeed they are in the process of
developing one-stop-shop models to deliver social services to their citizens
In this context the increasing demand for social protection has hindered full
implementation of social investment policies even in those countries where social reforms
started earlier and were implemented through structural changes For instance Sweden
and Denmark have shifted to less costly forms of labour market activation where
counselling replaces training and unemployment benefits have been reduced drastically
According to De la Porte-Jacobsson (2012) who examined EU Member States employment
policies in the 1990s and 2000s there have not really been clear and massive shifts from
passive to active expenditure on labour market policies in the EU-15 but expenditure for
both is depleting while participants in active labour market programmes are increasing in
order to be able to receive benefits
Even more alarming is the decrease in public expenditure on families and children
considering the positive correlation between higher rates of women in employment and
poverty reduction and between the availability of early child education and care services
and future career development prospects for children
As for education findings from the OECD Social Report (2014) show that consolidation
efforts halted the long-term trend of rising public spending on education it declined
8 Some of the more relevant findings are analytically reported in the Table 1
16
relative to GDP between 2009 and 2010 in more than half of OECD countries with cuts
especially sharp in Hungary Iceland Italy Sweden Switzerland and the United States
The social investment perspective emerged as a response to changing conditions across
Europe including de-industrialization and increased international competition an ageing
population changing gender roles in labour markets and households and the introduction
and diffusion of new technologies All these factors ndashparticularly the demographic trends -
call for more and better welfare services However the economic and financial crisis has
led EU Member States to contain or even reduce social spending and look for efficiency
gains in social services Thus they hope to do more with fewer resources
312 Welfare systems reforms in Europe
According to recent publications (eg Eriksson Einarsson and Wijkstroumlm 2014
Hemerijck Draumlbing Vis Nelson and Soentken 2013 Morel Palier and Palme 2012)
welfare state reforms have been implemented in all European countries over the past
three decades Initially these reforms were about social and economic policy adjustment
and mainly focused on economic competitiveness Then once the European economic and
monetary union was established EU Member States became more willing to adapt
measures of cost containment together with more active labour market policies such as
subsidized employment and training
From 2000 new emerging societal challenges related to new work values family gender
relations and social integration reinforced by problems such as population ageing de-
industrialization and changing family roles (see eg Esping-Andersen et al 2002) pushed
policy makers to promote more active welfare models Most EU countries initiated
substantial welfare reforms in order to maximize employment restrain early retirement
and reconcile work and family life
According to Hemerijck (2013) Hemerijck et al (2013) and Nelson (2012) there seems
to be no radical changes in welfare reform patterns in Europe Even when changes are
substantial policies do not depart from existing practices (Esping-Andersen et al 2002)
Most reforms represent cumulative policy adjustments across adjacent policy areas Social
investment is another key means of bringing down unemployment by channelling (less
productive) workers into social security programmes and maximizing the rate of
employment
Both the Continental and the Nordic models moved from labour-shedding policies to
employment maximising strategies In addition in the Continental welfare model minimum
income provision was strengthened and there was a shift from male-breadwinner family
support towards family services based on female employment and work-care balance
Though there is a variety of regime-specific measures (Palier 2010 Esping-Andersen
2010) there is also a convergence between social policy and employment objectives in
line with the policy initiatives promoted by the EU agenda to encourage the transformation
of the welfare state (Bouget 2005) This process signals a transition from a
passivecorrective welfare state to a proactive investment strategy more focused on
prevention activation and social servicing (Hay 2004)
Finally in terms of old social policies such as pensions more Member States are making
occupational and private pensions compulsory and have developed systems linking
benefits with actual contributions
To summarise an analysis of the status of implementation of welfare policy reforms in
Europe is presented in Table 1 below It is structured according to the following
dimensions proposed by Hemerijck (2013b) (1) macroeconomic policy (including fiscal
exchange rate and monetary policy) (2) wage bargaining and industrial relations (3)
labour market policy (4) labour market regulation (5) social insurance and social
assistance (6) old age pensions (7) family and social servicing (8) welfare financing
and (9) governance and social policy administration
17
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Macroeconomic policy (including fiscal budget and monetary policy)
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size with the decrease of replacement
Cut in public sector size
Wage bargaining and industrial relations
Collective bargaining agreement not binding introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement introduction of minimum wage
Collective bargaining agreement
Collective bargaining agreement especially in Italy
Collective bargaining agreement only in a minority of countries introduction of minimum wage
Labour market policy
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning Flexicurity model which is the integration of generous unemployment benefits active labour market policies and flexible labour markets with the aim of improving workforces quality while reducing unemployment
Activation labour policy more stringent conditions for benefits training and life-long learning some forms of flexicurity
Activation labour policy in Spain
Social insurance and social assistance
Tax cut for low wages support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed older regular workforce and support for the disabled
Support for low wages workers support for the long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Support for disabled long-term unemployed marginal workers as well as short- term unemployed
Limited support for marginal workers mostly for insiders
Support to long-term unemployed marginal workers short-term unemployed and older regular workforce
Old age pensions
Increase in retirement age expansion of support to groups having lower income or irregular employment
Flexible retirement age increase in pension age move from a defined benefit to a defined- pay-as-you-go contribution system
Increase in retirement age more flexibility in retirement age partial privatisation of pensions with complementary occupational or private plans
Increase in retirement age linking of the pension formula to contributions in a quasi-actuarial fashion introducing a public notional defined contribution system
Reforms of pension systems through privatization and individualization of savings Before the reforms pension systems were defined as ldquopay as you gordquo ( transfers from public firms to the state budget with scarce contributions from workers
18
Anglo-Saxon Welfare model
Nordic Welfare model Continental Welfare model
Mediterranean Welfare model
Eastern-European Welfare model
Family and social servicing
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave measures to provide a better balance between work and life increased access to childcare policies to increase female employment
Increase of maternity and paternity leave
Increase of maternity and paternity leave increased access to childcare
Welfare financing
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
Benefits related to contribution and less to taxation
In Czech Republic there was a shift from tax financing in order to increase payroll financing In this way social contribution was linked to benefit
Governance and social policy administration
In Ireland from 1994 onwards the state became less involved in the implementation of social policies as for example public employment services were moved to non-statutory agencies
In Denmark the second Rasmussen government reformed the Public Employment Services streamlining the responsibilities for all labour market policies both for insured and uninsured jobseekers under a single National Labour Market Authority
In Germany the Hartz commission recommended the restructuring of the social insurance system and in particular of the German Public Employment Service governance
Source IESI internal elaboration
19
The above table shows that the Nordic and Continental countries implemented structural
reforms earlier than the other countries and in more depth They also pursued synergies
with social investments policies
For example these countries (particularly the Nordic ones) have implemented labour
market policies combined with training life-long learning and flexicurity policies These
policies aim to mitigate inequalities by leveraging human capital and thus the quality of
the workforce while at the same time reducing unemployment
The Anglo-Saxon countries have adopted similar employment policies although these do
not include any form of flexicurity
By contrast the Mediterranean countries ndash with the exception of Spain ndash and the Eastern
European countries did not adopt any significant structural measures to support the
workforce until the crisis In recent years the Mediterranean countries have started to
adopt some reforms of the labour market and other structural reforms addressing their
social protection systems However these are not considered in the above table because
they have not affected society yet
These differences in labour market policies are also apparent in other structural policies
such as old age pension policies Nordic and Continental countries have introduced
flexible retirement age policies and increased the pension age as have other countries
Policy measures to support family and work life balance were adopted to some extent by
most EU Member States at least in relation to the ldquoincrease of maternity and paternity
leaverdquo However only in the Nordic Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare models have
these measures been associated with other measures which support a better balance
between work and life and greater access to childcare and female employment In these
countries the benefits of structural changes in their welfare systems have also been
translated into reduced taxation and rationalized public administration services In most
cases this was accomplished by integrating various social services and creating a single
point of access
The structural reforms allowed Nordic Central European and Anglo-Saxon countries to
also adopt more active social insurance and social assistance policy reforms For
example they were able to introduce tax cuts for low wages workers and to offer more
support to the long-term and short-term unemployed and regular older workers as well
32 Key characteristics and trends of European social services
321 Social services delivery
A social services system is generally defined as the (combination) of interventions
programmes and benefits that are provided by governmental civil society and
community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically
disadvantaged individuals and families In this respect social services are mainly
provided by public sector organisations and different levels of government using
traditional public service delivery mechanisms However social services can also be
contracted to private organizations through concessions transfers outsourcing or other
public-private partnerships systems such as framework contracts and service-levels
agreements Contracting out is becoming more and more common citizens and
organizations from the private or the third sector are complementing the public sector in
providing services or are acting as partners in designing and implementing different
service delivery phases Often the design and provision of new innovative services can be
initiated by private or third sector organisations and subsequently incorporated into the
public service delivery system
The Commission Communication on social services of general interest (April 2006 - COM
(2006) 177 final) defines two main categories of social services
20
i ldquoStatutory and complementary social security schemes organised in various ways
(mutual or occupational organisations) covering the main risks of life such as
those linked to health ageing occupational accidents unemployment retirement
and disabilityrdquo
ii ldquoOther essential services provided directly to the person These services that play
a preventive and social cohesion role consist of customised assistance to facilitate
social inclusion and safeguard fundamental rights They comprise first of all
assistance for people faced by personal challenges or crises (such as debt
unemployment drug addiction or family breakdown) Secondly they include
activities to ensure that the persons concerned are able to completely reintegrate
into society (rehabilitation language training for immigrants) and in particular
the labour market (occupational training and reintegration) These services
complement and support the role of families in caring for the youngest and oldest
members of society in particular Thirdly these services include activities to
integrate persons with long-term health or disability problems Fourthly they also
include social housing providing housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially
less advantaged groupsrdquo
By the same token according to EC (2010) social services improve citizensrsquo quality of life
by helping to tackle issues such as market externalities information asymmetries
distributional concerns agency problems natural monopolies public goods and services
(Cichon et al 2004 Greve 2002) Welfare states have several instruments they can use
to remedy these negative externalities eg governments are able to tax public ldquobadsrdquo
(Albrecht 2006)
The social services delivery systems carry out the following series of functions
Provision of care and support which is obviously the key function of Personal
Social Services (PSS - which include PSSGI) systems Each country decides which
sectors provide the services and how and who receives them under what
circumstances
Community development and care coordination because all systems have to
figure out and coordinate efficiently additional non-state resources due to the fact
that limited funding is available for services
Social control consisting of the enforcement of societal rules and procedures and
also societal norms For example mentally ill individuals and young offenders can
act in ways that are not in their own interests and can also represent a threat to
other citizens
Protection especially of children older people and the disabled who can be
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation
Regulation countries have adopted a decentralized mixed economy in which the
central state plays a crucial role in regulating PSS by setting standards and
monitoring developments
Social integration of excluded groups into mainstream society
The stakeholders responsible for the above functions belong to three main sectors
The public sector including local regional and central government Personal social
services can be provided by individual departments or as part of larger
departments such as social security health and education
The for-profit sector which is growing in size and relevance in some EU countries
(eg United Kingdom) The organizations operating in this sector are sometimes
difficult to distinguish from the ones operating in the voluntary non-profit sector
The only criterion that may differentiate these two sectors is an annual budget
surplus in the former
21
The voluntary non-profit sectors (consisting in self-help groups like the Alcoholics
Anonymous or NGOs) These use both paid and unpaid resources and volunteers
working inside or outside formal schemes
The evidence collected in this research suggests the following common trends in policy
reforms
Promotion of targeted programmes for the social and economic integration of
socially unprotected families by distributing social protection funds and
operational activities that target not only households but also specific individuals
according to their social and economic needs
Reconsideration of social protection systems in terms of not only existing
operations problems and service provision but also the needs of future
generations in order to ensure their sustainability
Introduction of roadmaps consisting of specific steps to improve social protection
It is worth noting that the use of ICTs boosts the operational transformation in social
services delivery processes in the above mentioned trends in policy reforms For
example it allows
An open-government approach and also the re-use of data through electronic
channels and across the entire public sector
The use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) in the 2014-2020
period to further finance ICT-based developments in healthcare with a view to
ensuring better connectivity between and among national healthcare systems
The integration of systems across departments and public authorities This allows
data and processes to be automatically shared so that support can be tailored by
predictive analytics based on evidence of what works for different customer
groups
The collection of information on policy interventions in order to build evidence to
inform future policy design
Online access to all transactions information and services
322 Social services integration
To cope with the societal challenges and demands for social services mentioned in the
previous subsection new approaches to service delivery are necessary The literature
review carried out shows that service delivery should have the following characteristics
Integrated services human resources management and social service delivery
model design need to be integrated in order to create more effective solutions for
people at risk and for disadvantaged groups Governments are exploring the
potential of integrating their various systems and service models to provide a
single point of customer service This will reduce administrative costs and increase
efficiency by removing duplication Moreover eliminating barriers to access and
offering a more user-centric approach would improve service efficiency and user
satisfaction
Shared services combining back-office processes reduces costs and increases the
effectiveness of service delivery Moreover sharing administrative systems and
processes allows governments to better leverage their technology and service
provider budgets Some governments have taken this approach further making
use of cloud technology to provide infrastructure and systems as a service
offering greater agility and responsiveness to their human resources and social
service agencies
22
Public Private Partnership (PPP) models PPPs can help achieve cost-efficiencies
By contracting services out to the private sector governments might be able to
reduce overheads focus on core service components and achieve greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment Moreover PPPs can achieve
greater efficiency as private organizations seek to reduce costs while maintaining
high levels of service delivery However to maximize the value of PPPs
governments must mitigate the risks associated with third-sector relationships
They must also structure reimbursement in a way that incentivizes efficiency and
positive outcomes while preventing fraud and abuse
Greater accountability governments are also trying to increase the impact of their
services by strengthening financial and accounting systems Thus they not only
achieve greater effectiveness but also enhance their ability to detect fraud and
address system inefficiencies Furthermore governments are also experimenting
with dynamic pay-for-performance models in existing markets through PPPs This
kind of model embeds the principles of accountability into service provision and
creates programmes that are focused on outcomes rather than processes
According to KPMG (2013) ldquoservices integrationrdquo denotes efforts to increase the
coordination of operations within human resources and social services systems Its
overall aim is to improve efficiency and client outcomes As shown in Figure 5 below
the integration process can be depicted as a continuum from no integration to full
integration
Figure 5 The integration continuum
Source KPMG 2013
The provision of integrated services offers the following advantages from an operational
perspective
increased capacity and value for money by reducing duplication in administrative
processes
improved strategic planning and system integrity as the sharing of information
between different agencies and programme areas improves the understanding of
service usage patterns and client needs
bull A highly fragmented
system with service
delivery organizations
working in isolation
No Integration
bull Informal cooperation between practitioners
bull Sharing of facilities and overheads but no integration of service
Partial Integration
bull Some formal sharing of resources and joint planning
bull I n f o r m a t i o n o n m u l t i p l e s e r v i c e s availability
Limited integration
bull Integrated staffing
funding technology
applications service
delivery tools and case management
Full integration
23
reduced demand for emergency services since smoother and more coordinated
assistance can help stabilise the conditions of clients thus reducing the need for
more costly crisis interventions
Moreover integrated services offer clients the following advantages
simplified access through one-stop-shops and integrated online portals
holistic and customized support through better understanding of their needs
faster response times as streamlined back-office systems improve processing
times
improved outcomes and user experience as better sequencing and coordination of
interventions can improve client outcomes over time
The key enablers of services integration can be represented and explained as shown in
Figure 6 below
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation
Source KPMG 2013
It is useful to briefly examine the three main drivers of service integration
Demographic transition more and more individuals are affected by a range of
different conditions and use multiple services Advances in technology have made
it possible to link information across programme areas and identify individuals
with complex needs In addition population ageing is prompting the redesign of
the provision of care for the aged because of sustainability challenges for care
providers changing family dynamics and structures high levels of household
debt and declining private pension coverage These factors mean that more older
people will rely on care provided by government rather than relatives or personal
savings
KEY ENABLERS
bull Electronic client records data analytics and interoperable technologies have enabled the identification of at-risk clients and a better understanding of service usage Coordinated case management and the more targeted use of resources have been possible as a result
bull Advances in data encryption and the proliferation of internet usage and mobile computing devices have allowed more clients to self-serve
through integrated web portals secure online accounts and mobile device applications
bull Data sharing legislation has facilitated
seamless referrals and integrated case
management between government
agencies and providers from the private
and not-for-profit sectors
bull Governments have sought to ensure pract it ioner compliance through
enshrining integration initiatives in
legislation
Legislation
bull Combined working groups staff co-
l o c a t i o n a n d j o i n t t r a i n i n g
arrangements are enabling knowledge
transfer and collaboration between
agencies levels of government andor
different sectors bull Transformed training recruitment
communi cation and performance
management practices are addressing
skills gaps and supporting new ways of
working New roles are being created and existing jobs redesigned
Workforce development
Technology
bull Payment-for-performance funding models (where providers are rewarded for improving client outcomes) are promoting the use of coordinated interventions to address social problems
bull The introduction of personal budgets is enabling service users and case managers to bypass organizational silos and purchase a mix of
support services from providers In doing so greater choice and autonomy is driving the creation of a social services marketplace
bull Pooled ldquoplace-basedrdquo budgets are producing clear incentives to coordinate services around local needs bull Joint commissioning enables agencies to overcome barriers to sharing resources and coordinating investment
bull Contracting and tendering reforms are being used to incentivize collaboration among third party service providers
Funding and contracting
24
Client expectations digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can
interface with service providers across a range of industries They now expect to
be able to access information and services through the web and mobile devices
Human and social services leaders are responding to these cultural changes and
new usage patterns by developing a range of new digital platforms including
integrated websites online accounts and smartphone and tablet apps
Economic pressures the global economic downturn has caused a rise in
unemployment (particularly long-term) in many countries Governments have
started to bring together services to address the demand and supply-side barriers
that prevent individuals from finding sustained employment However at the
same time high levels of sovereign debt have led to public sector austerity
measures in many developed economies This makes the issue of more cost-
effective service delivery one of the top priorities in policy agendas
As regards integrated services provision the following trends need to be considered
Client pathways aim to provide a more targeted and personalized approach that
enables clients with complex needs to receive coordinated services and support In
addition they enable most clients to serve themselves through streamlined access
points This trend also applies to government interventions which target the way
clients engage with services Governments are building capacity in big data analytics
as the growing complexity of datasets makes client patterns difficult to identify
without approaches of this kind
Focus on outcomes service providers are increasingly expected to deliver
demonstrable improvements in client outcomes Governments are increasingly
investing in building an evidence base for services integration They are developing
funding regimes linked to measurable outcomes and coordinating upstream
interventions that focus on prevention Service delivery providers are testing a range
of techniques and tools which encourage case workers and clients to focus on
achieving a set of agreed outcomes
bull Online access secure online accounts that allow users to navigate and access
programmes have become the norm in many jurisdictions
Inter-governmental integration there is growing recognition that greater
coordination between different levels of government is essential to improve system
integrity It reduces both duplication and gaps in service provision and enables
comprehensive responses to clientsrsquo complex needs Examples of government actions
in this respect include
Joint commissioning through joint-commissioning governments at different
levels find ways to combine resources align incentives and optimize system level
outcomes
Interoperability new frameworks tools and technologies are being developed
to enable systems to interact and exchange information across different levels of
government
bull Inter-sectorial integration governments are increasingly seeking opportunities to
build partnerships with service providers in the private and not-for-profit sectors
because of the significant role they play in delivering publicly-funded services The
current service delivery sector is highly fragmented and uncoordinated Therefore
individuals and families in need of support must navigate a confusing array of
providers and services In an attempt to solve this issue governments are taking the
following actions
o Network integration governments bring together community agencies in
formal networks to offer clients seamless support as they move through family
support services
25
o Resource sharing many governments make information available through
open data portals others have set up common client databases and removed
barriers that have previously have prevented the sharing of client information
across sectors finally some governments are engaged in staff co-location
o Funding and contracting governments have streamlined contracting
processes by standardizing terms and consolidating contracts They also use
funding to incentivize community sector consolidation collaboration and
social enterprise and to produce joint investment strategies
o Location-based integration there is growing support for the notion that
complex social problems are best addressed through coordinated local-level
interventions Governments have begun to undertake location-based planning
which has led to the restructuring of human resources and social services
departments along geographical rather than programme lines This gives them
a better understanding of local needs and enables them to react more
effectively to local needs
323 The one-stop-shop model
A typical example of services integration is the ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo model Following Askim
et al (2011) a ldquoone-stop-shoprdquo can be defined as an organizational model in which
service users are provided with a single entry point into the welfare system This model
is used to improve coordination in welfare services provision and takes various forms
such as fully integrated and physically co-located services virtual information portals
frontlines of complex single agencies or umbrella structures for several agencies
The participant structure of ldquoone stop shopsrdquo may be thought of as a variable In some
cases this structure can be quite simple for instance when a single agency with a wide
task portfolio implements a ldquoone stop shoprdquo for its customers In other cases the
structure is more complex For example the ldquoone stop shoprdquo may operate on top of
partner organizations and aim to maximize the convenience to the clients of all partners
through service integration operating as an intergovernmental partnership In this case
partner organisations remain separate but parts of their services are integrated
Coordination in ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo usually occurs when policy best meets citizensrsquo needs
ldquoOne-stop shopsrdquo represent a mechanism for increasing accessibility enhancing bottom-
up accountability achieving greater efficiency and reducing transaction costs and
duplications from the perspective of citizens providers and governments Kubicek and
Hagen (2001) distinguish between ldquofirst stop shopsrdquo ldquoconvenience storesrdquo and true ldquoone-
stop shopsrdquo The ldquofirst stop shoprdquo merely points citizens to relevant services In this case
clients have to take at least one more step which implies substantial pro-active
involvement on their part The ldquoconvenience storerdquo model is when several transactional
services are located in a single office or on one website In this case citizens are also
required to take further steps themselves The final type the lsquodepartment storersquo or true
one stop shop integrates specific client groups andor focuses services around specific
life events or administrative matters affecting citizens
The key dimensions defining ldquoone stop shopsrdquo with associated values are presented in
Table 2 Although the values presented are binary each variable can be thought as a
continuum with ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo located in the continuum between these two values
The first dimension is the tasks portfolio which represents the range of services
delivered The breadth of the task portfolio (narrow vs broad) corresponds to the range
of policy areas covered As an example some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo only deal with
unemployment while others offer services in other areas such as pensions welfare
benefits and social services The depth (shallow vs deep) refers to work processes
some ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo provide only partial product closure (ie information or
26
signposting only) while others provide complete product closure (ie information
advice assistance to the application processes and case closure)
We also differentiate ldquoone-stop shopsrdquo according to how autonomous they are Those
with low autonomy where participation is compulsory have little discretion in terms of
budget management and organization Those with high autonomy where participation
is voluntary have a high degree of discretion in terms of budget management and
organization
They can also be distinguished in terms of participant structure Simple structures
include only a few partners and a single public level of government and complex
structures involve several agencies and levels of government as well as a mix of public
and private actors
Proximity to citizens is another factor services can be distant (eg regionally-based
service) or close (eg locally-based neighbourhood services virtually accessible in
citizensrsquo own homes)
Finally if we look at the instruments (tools or mechanisms) used to facilitate joint
working we can distinguish between low integration when the services are located
together but managed separately and high integration with joint management budget
and recruitment
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops
Variable Values and Examples
Tasks portfolio
Narrow Broad
Few policy areas eg employment only
More policy areas eg pensions welfare benefits social services
Shallow Deep
Information signposting only (only partial product closure)
Information + advice + assistance with applications case closure on the spot (complete product closure)
Participant structure
Simple Complex
Few agencies Multiple agencies
One municipality Several municipalities
One level of government Several levels of government
Public sector only Mix of public private NGOs
Autonomy Low High
Compulsory participation in one stop shop
Voluntary participation in one stop shop
Little discretion in terms of budget management
organization
High discretion in terms of budget management organization
Proximity to citizen
Distant Close
Regionally based service Locally based neighbourhood service virtual service accessible in own home
Instruments Low integration High integration
Co-located services but separately managed
Joint management joint budgets joint recruitment personal shopper
Source Askim et al 2011
27
33 ICT-enabled social innovation in social service provision
331 ICTs supporting the transformation of social service delivery
In general terms the use of ICTs has an impact on the transformation of social service
delivery as it facilitates targeting by identifying beneficiaries more effectively It also
improves payment mechanisms allowing savings on operational costs (time and human
resources) and on benefits provided (avoiding double allowances) Their use also makes
interventions more effective (thanks to greater accuracy) and encourages greater trust in
government through better user experience
ICTs can be used as a vehicle to increase accountability and to transform and extend the
reach of service delivery to the underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient
manner In fact ICTs are able to increase accessibility inclusivity and flexibility in
service delivery allowing more citizens to interact with government with the flexibility of
choice offered by multiple delivery channels and in more convenient timeframes
Thus governments can transform the way services are delivered by using ICTs rather
than simply cutting back on social services in the face of budget deficits Following Booz
et al (2005) we describe four main waves of ICT adoption by governments in Figure 7
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments
Source Booz et al (2005)
The first wave focused on improving access and connectivity and was largely concerned
with the development of infrastructure The second wave provided add-ons to existing
services through online provision The third wave led by efficiency agendas focused on
the automation of existing processes Governments have re-engineered their business
processes and implemented faster ones enabled by ICTs Thus ICTs have played an
important role in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of government services
even though more integrated and citizen-centric service delivery still requires further
transformation of business processes to adopt and respond to new technologies This will
be achieved in the fourth wave in which the traditional channels for running the back-
office of government become ICT-enabled and seamlessly integrated In this stage
governments will shift from re-engineering existing processes to envisioning completely
new ways of implementing service delivery
28
The framework proposed by Booz et al in 2005 is still valid from a conceptual
standpoint However it is clear that more recent developments in ICT adoption in
government and more specifically in social services delivery processes (which are highly
knowledge intensive and where ICTs can therefore play an important role) need to be
considered This is especially the case in what could be considered as a fifth wave which
would include the adoption of new technological architectures These will enable the use
of interception techniques management and analysis of structured and non-structured
data (Big Data Analytics) and the production and use of public data in a linked format
(BOLD ndash Big Open Linked data) The latter will intersect with single users personalised
approaches exploiting multi-device and multi-channel logics (eg web social mobile)
This is will make it easier to use ICTs as the main means of developing different
pathways for the management of social services They will allow the application of an
end-user centric approach and the development of new services at the point of need
They will also leverage new horizontal forms of cooperation based on social innovation
principles
Therefore in line with the overall literature review and recent trends not yet fully
considered by most scholars in the field the transformation of social service delivery can
be enabled by ICTs along the following dimensions
Degree of integration across multiple social services This is an important
aspect of the contribution made by ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to the
modernisation of social protection systems in light of current trends It represents
the capability of social innovation initiatives to achieve the aim of social
investment policies namely delivering social services which increase institutional
complementarities and ensure the integration of policy measures (EC 2015)
Degree of stakeholder participation in the social service delivery model
This is another important aspect of the impact of ICT-enabled social innovation It
represents the capability of initiatives to develop a collaborative service delivery
model (across public private and non-governmental operators) ICT-enabled
social innovation initiatives are able to integrate multi-stakeholder perspectives in
the co-design and co-creation of innovative solutions of social services delivery
processes (Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) ICTs can be the engine for new
forms of horizontal ndash and to some extent circular ndash subsidiarity and for entirely
new and disruptive innovation in the social and human services sector Thus they
support the emergence of new public private and mixed (hybrids) markets and
new value propositions at the crossroads between market and social protection
systems
Key transformation dimensions enabled by different combinations of ICTs may include
More accessible data Here ICTs could support
o the demand side by allowing providers to extract detailed information on
the needs profile of each user via web and social semantic mechanisms
This would give them information on new service opportunities assistance
needs and other useful items of information in a near real time
communication protocol
o the supply side by providing through big data and visual analytics
detailed and valuable information on the current social service system
capacity obtaining data from Web sectoral or relevant databases and
other structured or unstructured data sources (Linked Open Data)
Better knowledge The cloud and distributed knowledge management platforms
enable in-depth analysis of current markets They aggregate data via a well-
structured semantic interoperability approach and big data and visual analytics
technologies They enable in-depth evaluations of future scenarios thanks to data
mining and agent-based approaches
29
Better regulation Information deriving from all the actors involved in the
process could enrich the knowledge management environment thus enabling
institutions to adopt measures to improve processes (Process Changes) from a
regulatory and an operational point of view
Sirovatka-Greve (2015) identified four streams in the discussion of social innovation in
public services
The role of innovation in the knowledge economy (Room 2005) this focuses on
how innovation in technologies and in management can be applied to the
provision of public services
Public sector innovation (Bloch 2010) looking at how to support the private
sector in its efforts to innovate
Governance models (for instance decentralisation marketization or partnerships)
as sources of innovation (Van Berkel et al 2011)
Grass-roots organisations and initiatives how they can be empowered and
supported to innovate (Klein and Harrison 2007)
These four interrelated streams point to social innovation as a way of modernising public
sector systems adapting them to citizensrsquo needs and expectations better and more
economically sustainable
ICTs potential for enhancing innovation in social services could go beyond simply making
new products available or improving efficiency in management practices They can foster
a key characteristic of social innovation namely its capacity to bring together a broad
range of stakeholders facilitating their efforts to jointly build new and better answers to
ever-changing societal needs in spite of shrinking public budgets ICTs have enabled new
organisational business and value models Technological skills are often instrumental to
capacity building and to the empowerment of all operators engaged in the delivery of
social services innovation These skills may result in more sustainable individual and
collective behaviour and in self-regulation processes
332 ICTs enabling changes in social services delivery models
According to Van Berkel et al (2011) reforms in service delivery systems have been
traditionally related to three main movements decentralisation (political or
administrative) marketization (contracting-out or strengthening competition among
providers) and new public management (performance indicators incentives and
controlmonitoring mechanisms)
To better understand the contribution ICTs can make to the process of change in social
service delivery models it might be useful to consider another approach ie one that
looks at the link between the reform in service delivery systems and the social needs
primarily addressed in specific fields of social services
First of all ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can contribute to better
coordination among citizens and social services actors or beneficiaries and
formal and informal caregivers The aim of these ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to increase coordination and collaboration amongst those for example who
care for chronically-ill patients at home Here ICTs can act as an enabling factor that
drives the organizational transformation of service delivery A major advantage of ICTs is
that they provide case management services customized to the changing needs of the
patients and their relatives at the point of need In addition they can strengthen inter-
governmental integration and inter-sectorial communication among care providers ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives can increase the productivity of the workforce and
the cost-effectiveness of the service delivery process They can also ensure the overall
sustainability of the service in the mid to long term
30
Secondly ICTs encourage active inclusion and provide support to the care
practices communities The aim of these types of ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives is to empower ageing people by increasing their capabilities to care for
themselves and at the same time to support their inclusion in society In this ICTs are
fundamental ldquogame changersrdquo substantially transforming care services delivery In line
with the SIP objectives they promote active inclusion and help to make significant
savings in care services delivery (eg less unplanned hospitalizations for adverse events
and increase of productivity of the care workforce)
Furthermore the contribution of ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives may be seen
when we look at innovations for home care services delivery This type of ICT-
enabled social innovation initiative is the most frequently implemented because it is
recognised that home care for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF
etc) and ageing patients in general is much better than hospital care In contrast to the
previous cases the ICT focus here is on monitoring technologies (mainly sensors and
actuators) that can provide health professionals with data and information automatically
about patientsrsquo health status and allow a virtual nearly real-time interaction with them
These technologies can be ldquogame-changersrdquo in the modernisation of care services as
they enable a disruptive transformation of the care processes for these patients
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can also be game changers in integrating work
and care This type of initiative also fits in well with structural reforms that aim to allow
individuals of working age to remain productive and employable for longer than before
In addition ICT-enabled social innovation can contribute to transforming service delivery
models through better integration between employment and life-long learning
services throughout individualsrsquo lives They address the need to leverage the knowledge
capital of individuals and maintain the employability of Europeans at a high level In
these cases ICT-enabled social innovation can enable e-learning services and thus
maintain individualsrsquo employability levels over time andor to better integrate the back
offices of organizations which match job demand with job offer In more advanced cases
ICT can also be ldquogame changersrdquo by proactively integrating life-long learning services
with the automatic identification of skills gaps so that jobseekers meet job offer
requirements These initiatives increase individualsrsquo employability throughout their
working lives
ICTs also contribute to change by better integrating work family and social
inclusion These types of initiatives help individuals to cope with childcare keeping
them included in society and allowing them to participate in labour markets ICT-enabled
social innovation solutions facilitate the identification of the best service providers and
the coordination of public and private offers of childcare services for families They also
enhance the integration of public and private actors in their efforts to cover the whole
spectrum of childcare services These initiatives have an impact on the modernisation of
social services as they allow for example better synchronization of the public and
private offer of childcare services which in turn increases their cost-effectiveness They
also minimize vacancies andor overbooking of childcare services and reduce the
negative externalities affecting parents for instance reconciling family life social
inclusion and work
ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives also improve the delivery of social inclusion
services for the homeless This type of services addresses the needs of homeless
people living in urban centres Homelessness is a complex problem which requires the
provision of structural solutions and at the same time first-aid interventions which cut
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
ICT-enabled social innovation in this case can support both sides of homeless peoples
needs as it can provide a more cost effective means of collaboration and coordination
between public and private actors involved in the delivery of a service ICTs can in fact
act as a ldquogame-changerrdquo by using information technology to help public and private
31
actors understand better the behaviour of homeless people and provide more effective
services at the point of need ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives can significantly
improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery models
Finally ICT-enabled social innovation fosters the development of one-stop-shops
This is another type of social innovation initiative for the modernisation of social services
delivery in which ICTs can play a relevant role as already discussed
333 Enabling factors and barriers
Social innovation is a very high priority on the European political agenda (Haxeltine et al
2013 BEPA 2014) not only because it is seen as a new way to address social issues
oversaw by both private and public sectors but also because of the complex social
economic and environmental challenges which affect society
Social protection systems in EU Member States are facing a double challenge First they
must address contingency needs with reduced budgets as a consequence of the crisis
Second they must respond to the needs emerging from structural changes including
evolving social preferences and behaviours demographic change technological
innovations etc
As already discussed the public sector is having difficulties in addressing these
challenges Furthermore social services have not up until now been profitable enough for
the private sector Civil society and citizens however are finding new ways of providing
structural and sustainable answers to these challenges through social innovation
In this context promoting social innovation within social policies entails
Adopting an investment approach which is coherent with the anticipated societal
needs
Mobilising a wide range of actors other than the usual social sector actors
Combining skillsbackgroundculture and business in ways which differ from
traditional business solutions
It also requires policy makers and the public sector in general to provide a suitable
environment in which these efforts can flourish They must also embed social innovation
initiatives in the public sector transformation process Policy initiatives should also
provide incentives which would encourage private investors to become involved in social
investment They may then find new paradigms and business models which would give
them a return on their investments and at the same time have a positive social impact
(Bugg-Levine amp Emerson 2011 Epstein amp Yuthas 2014)
As recognized by Caulier-Grice et al (2012) the distinguishing element of social
innovation is that it can ldquomeet societal needsrdquo in more effective ways than other
approaches by ldquoenhancing society capacity to act and often entails changes in social and
power relationsrdquo Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises play an important role
because they can rdquocreate social values that is seen as the creation of benefits or
reduction of costs for society ndash through efforts that address social need and problems ndash
in ways that go beyond the private gains and general benefits of market activityrdquo (Phills
et al 2008)
Both social investment perspectives and social innovation policies aim to address
relevant societal needs and contribute to the sustainable development of society Both
put the individual at the centre of the decision process
The complementarities between social investment perspectives and social policy
innovation are presented in Table 3 below
32
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation
Source IESI internal elaboration inspired by Hautamaki (2010)
According to Hubert Carvalho amp Goudin (2014) the main message coming from social
innovation initiatives is that ldquothey are the opposite of quick-fix solutions using their full
potential requires nothing less than a combination of lsquothe deep strategies of chess
masters with the quick tactics of acrobatsrsquo The lifecycles of social innovations (processes
of emergence stabilisation and scaling up) are very conditional and are not available
simply at the press of a buttonrdquo
Social innovation is the focus of a whole range of European Commission policy initiatives
the European platform against poverty and social exclusion the Innovation Union the
Social Business Initiative the Employment and Social Investment packages the Digital
Agenda the new industrial policy the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy
Ageing and Cohesion Policy Furthermore many social innovation projects have been
funded by Structural Funds Social innovation has been explicitly integrated into the
Structural Funds Regulations for 2014-2020 This opens up possibilities for Member
States and regions to invest in social innovation both through the ERDF and the ESF
A recent report provides information on policies adopted by the EU to support the
introduction of social innovation in public service modernisation processes (Hubert
Carvalho amp Goudin 2014) In particular it recognizes that the public sector will achieve
greater gains in quality efficiency fairness transparency and accountability only by
following social innovation principles like
Co-designing and co-creating innovative solutions (with other Member States
other parts of government businesses the third sector and citizens)
Adopting new and collaborative service delivery models (across public private and
non-governmental actors both within and across national borders)
Embracing creative disruption from technology (the pervasive use of social media
mobility big data cloud computing packaged in new digital government
offerings)
Adopting an attitude of experimentation and entrepreneurship (government itself
needs to become bolder and more entrepreneurial) ldquo
To understand how social innovation can contribute in practice to social investments and
to the modernisation of the social protection and social security systems in Europe an in-
depth analysis of case studies of emerging social innovation initiatives was carried out as
described in the next chapter
Social investment policy Social policy innovation
Basic value
Mitigation of inequalities across social groups through economic development and employment growth
Wellbeing and sustainable development
Type of policy
Supply-driven with focus on human capital development and efficient use throughout the life course of the individuals
Demand-driven with beneficiaries at the centre of the decision process
Level of implementation National level Regional-local level
Field of action National Global
Actors addressed Mainly single institution (now) Inter-institutional complementarities (trend)
Multi-stakeholders
Implementation process Direction and control from above (top-down)
Enabling spontaneous processes and experiments and competitions (bottom-up)
33
4 Cases overview
41 Main characteristics
As described in Chapter 2 a two-step approach based on a multi-criteria analysis and the
IESI conceptual framework was used to define a set of successful or promising cases for
further study A brief overview of the 14 selected cases is presented in Table 4 below
Table 4 Selected Case Studies
Initiative Acronym Country Area of service Welfare model
A Book for a Roof A Book for a Roof
Croatia Education and training - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement - Social assistance - Employment
Central Eastern Europe
Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older peoplersquos Needs
ACTION Sweden Social inclusionparticipation - Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance - Education and training
Nordic
Badalona Assistance Services
BSA Spain Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation - Integrated health and social care - Social assistance
Mediterranean
Crossroads Bank for Social Security
CBSS Belgium Social care - Social assistance Employment - Civic engagement
Continental
Online Point of Single Contact
EESTIEE Estonia Civic engagement - Social care - Social assistance - Childcare - Education and training - Social housing - Employment - Social inclusion participation - Independent living
Central Eastern European
South Karelia District of Social and Health Services
EKSOTE Finland Integrated health and social care - Social care
Nordic
Digitalisation of social security services
INPS Italy Social assistance - Social care - Social inclusion participation - Civic engagement
Mediterranean
Little bird Little Bird Germany Childcare Continental
Pathway Accommodation amp Support System
PASS Ireland Social housing - Social assistance
Anglo-Saxon
Reform of employee
insurance implementation institution
PES Netherla
nds Employment - Employability - Social assistance
Continental
Pocircle Emploi ndash 100 Web
Pocircle Emploi
France Employment - Employability
Continental
Strategy for Digital Welfare
SDW Denmark Social assistance - Social care - Education and training - Integrated health and social care - Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Nordic
National Telecare Development Programme
TDP Scotland UK
Independent living - Integrated health and social care - Social care
Anglo-Saxon
Express Train to Employment (Welfare to Work)
W2W Poland Employment - Employability
Central Eastern Europe
Source IESI internal elaboration
Some of the above initiatives have had a significant impact on the modernisation of
processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services at national level
These have a specific focus on the simplification of citizen access to social services and
the sustainability of social protection services for example the digitalization of services
(INPS) in Italy Estoniarsquos single point of contact (EESTIEE) the employee insurance
implementation institution (PES) in the Netherlands and the strategy for digital welfare
(SDW) in Denmark
34
Some of the selected initiatives focus solely on employment and employability PES Pocircle
Emploi and Express Train to Employment (W2W) These initiatives provide e-services for
jobseekers and employers at national level Other cases focus mainly on education and
training but also seek to improve social inclusion and the employability of beneficiaries
(eg A book for a Roof)
All the selected initiatives present a high degree of transferability In fact the service
models implemented in some of the initiatives have already been transferred to other
policy areas andor other geographical areas or are based on experiences in other
contexts for example Little Bird and W2W
The selected cases provide good coverage of the different types of actors generally
involved in ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives from the public private and third
sector The latter especially play a prominent role in some of the selected cases both as
initiative promoters and as active partners for example Pathway Accommodation amp
Support System (PASS) and A Book for a Roof
As shown in Figure 8 which illustrates the geographical distribution of the selected
initiatives the five welfare systems are covered fairly equally In addition as many
different EU countries as possible are included Each case represents a different country
and 14 different countries have therefore been covered in our analysis
Figure 8 Geographical distribution
Source IESI internal elaboration
Moreover the initiatives analysed represent all the PSSGI areas As shown in Table 5
below most of the initiatives because of the nature of the services offered and their
level of integration involve more than one type of social services
This is in line with the objectives of the IESI research It aims to explore initiatives which
have potential systemic effects on social protection systems and therefore considers the
ICT-enabled social innovation ecosystem (Misuraca et al 2015) in which each initiative
is embedded rather than individual practices focusing on a single area
35
Table 5 Social services addressed
Initiativersquos acronym
Country N of
PSSGI involved
Primary focus area
Additional focus areas
A Book for a Roof
Croatia 5 Education and training
Social Inclusion participation Civic engagement Social Assistance Employment
ACTION Sweden 5 Active Healthy Ageing
Independent living Integrated health- and social care Social Assistance Education and training
BSA Spain 3
Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
CBSS Belgium 4 Social Care Social Assistance Employment Civic engagement
EESTIee Estonia 9 Civic Engagement
Social Care Social assistance Childcare Education and training Social Housing Employment Social inclusionparticipation Independent living
EKSOTE Finland 2 Integrated health- and social care
Social Care
INPS Italy 4 Social Assistance
Social Care Social Inclusionparticipation Civic engagement
Little Bird Germany 1 Childcare None
PASS Ireland 2 Social Housing Social Assistance
PES Netherlands 3 Employment Employability Social Assistance
Pocircle Emploi France 2 Employability Employability Employment
SDW Denmark 5 Social Assistance
Social Care Education and training Integrated health- and social care Prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
TDP United Kingdom
3 Independent living
Integrated health- and social care Social Care
W2W Poland 2 Employability Employment
Source IESI internal elaboration
Figure 9 shows the distribution of the selected cases across all the PSSGI covered by
the 14 selected cases It shows that the initiatives deal mostly with the following social
services areas social inclusionparticipation (17 of all initiatives) social assistance
(14) education and training (14) employability (12) and active and healthy ageing
(with all sub-areas combined 10)
36
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services
Source IESI internal elaboration
As explained in Chapter 2 the initiatives were assessed and selected against two
dimensions namely the level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled
innovation potential Figure 10 below illustrates the distribution of the selected
initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map where they have been located according to their
level of governance of service integration and the ICT-enabled innovation potential
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map
Source IESI internal elaboration
37
42 Areas of focus across the case studies
As already underlined in Section 2 the selected initiatives have high scores for at least
one of the two following dimensions ICT-enabled innovation potential and level of
governance of service integration The cross-case analysis therefore focuses on the other
two dimensions discussed namely the most significant social innovation elements which
characterise the initiatives and the type of service integration achieved or targeted
421 Social innovation focus
Our analysis shows that some initiatives which were conceived in order to meet new
emerging needs in the context of more complex societal challenges are either rooted in
or give rise to wider ranging structural changes at organizational and management level
(including at governance level) This type of structural change allows the creation and
allocation of new public value for citizens These initiatives normally target a wide
variety of beneficiaries and relevant needs see INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP
For example the implementation of the INPS (IT) initiative well represents a process
whose main initial objective was to move toward a need drivenoutcome-oriented service
production This required a complete redesign of the entire service production process
and the active contribution of all the stakeholders involved such as other public
administrations private intermediaries (Unions Tax Assistance Centres Labour market
consultants) and public and private job centres which resulted in a fundamental change
in the relationship between stakeholders It also transformed completely the traditional
way of managing running and controlling social security services using a new model
based on a client pathway approach This initiative is highly innovative since it improves
access to services in a one-stop shop approach allows the traceability of accounts and
enhances the accountability and transparency of the overall system
PASS (IE) is another good example of structural change and complete innovation in the
design of services for homeless people The overall need was to ensure better
coordination between the different institutions and private operators in the delivery of
services to homeless people The initiative has become a comprehensive client
management system for homeless service users which also provides statistical
information on homeless peoplersquos profiles and their use of the services The initiative has
become a powerful strategic instrument in the fight against homelessness PASS allows
us to identify emerging issues faced by the homeless it facilitates cooperation among
different agencies in order to provide a continuum of care and integrated assistance and
allows better planning of future services In this case the development of user pathways
in and out of the homeless service system which focus on individual needs rather than
on a specific group has also been central to the success of the initiative The system
produces statistical information on the homeless population which is being used by
public and private stakeholders to plan and manage programmes and strategies The
support provided to the homeless is therefore more effective and answers their needs
better This approach is more typical of the Anglo-Saxon welfare model in which private
sector actors are more involved in delivery systems
SDW (DK) is a digital strategy which aims to foster more cohesive welfare through
greater cooperation and knowledge sharing among administrations and stakeholders by
making use of ICTs It also seeks to create better opportunities to improve citizensrsquo
everyday lives in many areas such as healthcare social care labour market and
education through technologies Furthermore the digital transformation of welfare
services gives managers and employees in the public sector a more active role for
instance in motivating and assisting citizens to use technological solutions and get the
most out of them It makes the public sector more dynamic and innovative and capable
of delivering services of high quality As in other Nordic welfare social protection
systems social innovation in SDW is more about complementing and improving existing
public sector-led initiatives where the public sector plays a pivotal role in their success
than creating new services
38
Finally TDP (Scotland) and BSA (ES) allocate public value to citizens by integrating the
health and the social care sectors This facilitates the alignment of service funding and
incentives the promotion of inter-professional teams across the continuum of care as
and strong focused and diverse governance representing all stakeholders These
initiatives also foster a culture of cohesion which while familiar in the Anglo- Saxon
welfare model is more unusual and innovative in the Mediterranean welfare model
Nevertheless all the cases analysed in this section (INPS PASS SDW BSA and TDP)
are the result of the general public spending review process in place at a national level
which encourages an overall rethinking of the ldquoapproach to clientrdquo in order to remain
sustainable over time
422 Social Service focus
Other initiatives focus on the social service itself Here the aim is to improve the match
between demand and supply with regard to a specific need These initiatives are
therefore mostly needs-driven and devoted to enhancing the outcomes of the
social protection system They consist of adapting the service supply and its delivery to
evolving needs It is quite a common priority of social protection systems in the Nordic
and Continental European welfare models and it appears in initiatives with a clearly
defined target service and a specific class of beneficiaries
PES (NL) focuses on building an accessible virtual market place in order to bridge the
gap between job seekers with difficulties to enter the labour market (mainly people with
disabilities) and employers who are willing to hire people from this group More precisely
this virtual market place makes more information available in order to allow profiling of
capabilities and competences and also supplies information on possible vacancies In
addition it provides accompanying services such as legal support profiling support etc
All this enhances the transparency of the labour market It allows the disabled to
participate in the workforce and the vacancies available for disabled employees to be
filled It also makes the communication with disabled applicants more timely and
efficient
EKSOTE (FI) and ACTION (SE) target senior citizens and their relatives in the area of
active and healthy ageing and long-term care They seek to reduce the incidence of a
typical condition and encourage people to care for themselves and live independently at
home They also support formal and informal carers The focus is on improving the
quality of care services through a more integrated and coordinated provision of social
services a simplification of the administration better targeting of benefits and it also
directs considerable educational efforts to beneficiaries and caregivers who use the new
services These initiatives enhance the cost-effectiveness of social services and allow the
provision of services which better meet the needs of senior citizens and their relatives
Another interesting case is A Book for a Roof which also targets a clearly defined type
of beneficiary namely homeless people It provides a well-defined social service offer -
ie ICT-training that improves homeless peoplesrsquo chances of finding a job It fosters
social inclusion and promotes the use of internet as an inclusion tool two innovative
components for homelessness services The initiative focuses on homeless peoplesrsquo
chances of re-engaging with the job market It helps them build a positive self-image a
challenge for one of the most complex socially-excluded population groups This initiative
seems to have an impact- albeit on a small-scale ndash on the complexity of needs that
causes homelessness with a simple but effective ldquoreciperdquo It invests in soft skills and
human relationships instead of giving financial or material support The philosophy
behind the initiative is that motivation and partnership can overcome the malfunctioning
or inadequacy of traditional systems This problem is particularly widespread in the
Central-Eastern European welfare states where social care and support are mainly based
on passive allocation of benefits This approach sometimes prevents vulnerable people
from reacting adequately in order to be socially included again
39
423 Open processes of co-creation and collaborative networks
Another group of initiatives focuses on open processes of co-creation and
collaborative innovation networks Their aim is to contribute to establishing new
types of relationships between community and institutions and to capitalize on
partnerships between the public and private sectors The use of information from
different sources for planning purposes is a common aspect of the initiatives belonging to
this group
EESTIEE (EE) for example offers a portal which provides services from various public
institutions through one single entry-point simplifying the administrative burden and
connecting entrepreneurs and citizens with institutions and private-sector entities such
as banks telecom providers and energy companies In this case the availability of
information is crucial for the provision of online procedures that enhance access to
services and participation in service delivery models
Like other initiatives in the Continental welfare model Little Bird (DE) and Pocircle Emploi
(FR) illustrate an extensive statutory social security system based on solidarity Little
Bird contributes to the goals of family-friendly policies that increase maternity and
paternity rights and offer a better work-life balance and easier access to childcare The
approach helps to match the childcare offer and demand by offering information and an
online search tool for parents looking for childcare and facilitating the administration of
childcare facilities for providers The creation of a simple online platform greatly
promoted engagement in civil society parents and providers and other relevant
operators are involved in a collaborative innovation network where they all proactively
develop implement and adopt this innovation by contributing their respective
knowledge Indeed in this open process of co-creation all stakeholders bring their
knowledge information experience and resources especially those that are relevant to
them since they are all direct beneficiaries
In Pocircle Emploi the transformative use of ICTs is apparent in the interactions between
jobseekers and counsellors ICTs are used to improve beneficiariesrsquo digital skills This
increases their employment opportunities and helps fight digital exclusion and social
isolation The Pocircle Emploi 100 Web initiative contributes to addressing policy goals
related to active inclusion strategies by promoting greater engagement of employers and
job seekers improving the quality of services provided and enhancing transparency in
processes and digital access to services
CBSS (BE) sought to address the problems arising from the lack of coordination and
integration of the information flows across different social security actors For example
an information burden is imposed on citizens and companies if they are required to
provide the same information several times It started as a coordinated information
management programme and led to the creation of a permanent and interoperable social
security network which includes all social security institutions operating in Belgium It
therefore acts as a public services integrator in the social security sector This has
allowed the reengineering and full automation of the social security organizational
processes for the benefit of the concerned institutions citizens and companies
W2W is another example of disruptive innovation which relies on the cooperation among
public institutions and private employment agencies The initiative profiles job demand
and supply better and thus creates opportunities which were not available before It has
enabled the co-design of a new set of employment services with shared funding and
shared governance The involvement of private operators in the delivery process is a
rather innovative approach for the Central-Eastern European welfare model where the
private sector has not traditionally played a pivotal role
40
5 Results from cross-case analysis
51 ICTs potential for modernising social protection systems
The cross-case analysis has allowed us to gather insights into the contribution ICTs make
to the implementation of innovation in the social sector and to establish more
sustainable effective and accessible services The results achieved by these contributions
in turn affect the overall contribution ICTs could make to the implementation of the
Social Investment Package and the achievement of its policy goals and objectives
511 ICTs contribute to tackle emerging societal challenges
This section focuses on the enabling role of ICTs in achieving the necessary integration
at different levels This allows the redesign of services a new balance in the relationships
between private and public sector involved in the service delivery process an increase in
the transparency of processes and procedures that consume resources allocated to social
services better identification of individualsrsquo needs and better allocation of budgets
From the cross-case analysis we can see that ICTs play a crucial role in promoting social
innovation and social investment They enhance possible solutions to cope with global
trends which increase the complexity in the delivery of social services These trends are
summarised as follows
a) Supply and demand paradox
The crisis has left a lot of people in economic distress and at the same time public
budgets have been eroded Public administrations must reinvent their role within the
community as follows
Internally leveraging on the possibilities of achieving operational efficiency
(reengineering of production processes shifting resources from back office to
front office leveraging existing assets redefining services portfolios following
activity-based management principles etc)
Externally identifying synergies at inter-institutional level (with other public
agencies at local national and European level) investing in new cooperation with
other private providers at inter-sectoral level (eg intermediaries third sector
organizations academic researchers etc) designing public interventions in a
client-centred way (ldquoclient pathwayrdquo) independently of where the administrative
responsibility for the service lies
With regard to both trends ICTs help to free up resources which can then be reallocated
to processes and activities that create added-value They also play an enabling role in
establishing information exchange which fosters cooperation among different agencies
Rethinking service management and service delivery models to harness new technologies
and approaches and integrating service providers to gain efficiency help to close the
gap between supply and demand and between skillscapabilities and the broadening
range of demands
b) Empowerment of the individual
Global education and increasing awareness of civil rights and consequent responsibility
within communities empower citizens ICTs are helping to give individuals a more central
role in the decision making process They allow individuals to actively participate
through mechanisms such as co-design and co-development in the design and
development of social service models In this respect individuals are increasingly
knowledgeable about their needs and the contribution they can make as service
recipients to aligning social services with demand
41
Individuals play a crucial role in social innovation in both the planning and the delivery
phase They can co-develop service delivery models and assess the quality and
outcomes of the social services
ICTs can contribute to reshaping the ldquoprovider-recipientsrdquo paradigm in the social services
management and delivery model creating new social and economic values that can
counterbalance the decrease in resources The availability of clear trackable and
controlled information empowers individuals increases their awareness and their ability
to participate in the decision-making process Beneficiaries are better able to manage
their own care through the use of innovative platforms and web and mobile devices and
they are in fact becoming increasingly accustomed to these technologies
c) Economic inter-connectedness
International trade and capital flows call for a new way to identify and measure ldquovaluerdquo
In particular social benefits delivery across different Countries or regional systems can
produce overlaps and hamper efficiency and effectiveness when not managed
comprehensively The approach taken must consider all levels of delivery (local national
European) and needs to conceptualize the user in a global and inter-connected socio-
economic system
ICTs make it possible to take a lsquoclient pathwayrsquo approach which puts the beneficiaryrsquos
needs at the centre They improve strategic planning and systems integrity by sharing
information between different agencies Data analytics enable a better understanding of
service usage patterns system outcomes and resources available so they can be
targeted more efficiently and fraud or errors can be detected and countered
The new social value created must be analysed and understood through a common
approach so that it can be distributed fairly among the stakeholders involved
d) Demographic and urbanisation trends
The ageing population in Europe poses new challenges for healthcare welfare and
pension systems At the same time young people will have to be integrated into the
labour market and socially included Migration flows add to the challenge to promote an
inclusive society Moreover it is expected that by 2030 two thirds of the worldrsquos
population will live in cities creating more opportunities for social and economic
development for sustainable living but also increasing pressure on infrastructures and
social resources
Structural interventions are the main instruments to address these socio-demographic
megatrends Current social service systems can only expand to cope with the increasing
demand through a greater use of technologies These allow personalized support enable
independent living at home or in care facilities and help meet savings targets The
widespread use of the internet and of mobile computing devices for example allows
people to help themselves and also fulfils peoplesrsquo expectations in an always-on world
New technologies foster flexibility offer new collaborative working opportunities in
service delivery allow beneficiaries to play a more active role in the design and delivery
of services and make social services more affordable
The cases analysed show that ICTs have helped promote social innovation and social
investment They have also enabled the implementation of new approaches to service
management and delivery In particular ICT tools have been key success factors for
Integrating services We can conclude from our analysis that there is increasing
awareness of the need to integrate human resources and social services in order
to produce more effective solutions to many of the societal challenges For
example the INPS initiative integrated various systems and service models to
provide a single point of customer service through the implementation of a multi-
42
channel approach managed exclusively digitally This innovation in the service
delivery model reduces administrative costs and increases efficiency by
eliminating duplication in processes such as client authentication and verification
which is supported by the automation of these processes INPS also highlights
the need to further improve technological tools in order to expand the portfolio of
services eg by integrating mobile devices into the service model in order to
reach the overall target population PES is another good example of how an
administration (Dutch) can provide users with more effective services by
eliminating barriers to access and offering a more holistic and client-centric
approach This brings together different services to address critical employment-
related needs and builds a real-time labour market place enhancing the match
between labour demand and offer EKSOTE focuses on a new integrated
approach the aim of which is to centralise the allocation of resources on the basis
of the populationrsquos needs and to facilitate the access to services and the
transparency of the information management system particularly for older people
and long-term care patients Its holistic approach helped in the coordination of
welfare and social service public providers Finally TDP strengthens preventive
care beyond traditional hospital-based treatments and promotes full integration of
healthcare services rather than stand-alone or vertical services This approach
has resulted in significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of services
Public Private Partnership Models Our analysis shows that PPPs can lead to
cost efficiencies and help to cope with the need to reduce intervention by the
public sector The result is a better focus on core service components and greater
flexibility and agility within the service environment In the PASS experience a
needs-driven approach was implemented this approach provided new public
value re-allocation giving systematic information to agencies and operators
working with the homeless It led to greater efficiency while maintaining high
quality service delivery The ACTION initiative shows how a technology-based
home care service developed by a public-private partnership can leverage on the
use of ICTs and help older people live independently by empowering them
(through training and expert support) and their family carers It has been
successful in getting older people and their family carers to actively participate in
the initiative Little Bird is another example of a publicprivate partnership
which has reallocated the place of care to the family environment It has
generated benefits for both children and parents by establishing an interactive
process which maps the entire range of administrative functions involved in the
allocation of childcare services In addition the government and the private
entities involved have obtained significant cost savings on service provision
Enhancing accountability the effectiveness of protection system services can
be enhanced by strengthening financial and accounting systems in order to better
detect fraud and address inefficiencies CBSS has fully integrated the workflows of
around 3000 social security national institutions making the whole process
available online This provided single and fast access to all social services and
benefits for customers as well as infrastructure and systems to the involved
organisations which increased agility and data transparency One of the main
lessons learned in SDW relates to accountability it developed an integrated
electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social sector which
allowed social security offices access to all the information needed to calculate all
social security contributions This is used for tracking procedures and to avoid
irregularities
e) Case management
We found that services tailored to and assessed against the changing needs of clients
and care givers increases the cost-effectiveness of service management and delivery
process This approach safeguards the overall sustainability of the service in the mid to
43
long-term W2W and Pocircle Emploi focus on profiling capabilities and the expectations of
the unemployed They customize their support services to match job demands and
supply with surprising results in terms of labour inclusion and reduction in the
unemployment rate A Book for a Roof shows that the individualised management of
care initiatives has found new ways of dealing with homelessness It uses cultural
interventions and focuses on enhancing peoplersquos skills and the use of the internet as an
inclusive environment This approach has increased the motivation of homeless people to
be included in society
512 ICTs contribute establishing more effective and accessible services
This section focuses on the capacity of ICTs to enhance productivity in the care sector
achieve cost savings increase the overall quality of the services from the point of view of
the recipients and build a single-point of access to multiple services
ICTs can improve social service management and delivery models provide new or better
answers to social protection system challenges and needs of individuals establish new
relationships and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders Thus they can contribute
significantly to delivering the reforms needed for the modernisation of social protection
systems
ICTs have been used as enablers of new public management approaches They can
promote pluralistic models of public service provision delivered by business the non-
profit sector and government actors working together increasing the proximity of
services providers to citizens In this respect the cases analysed have revealed a
growing emphasis on the importance of cost freedom of choice and quality of service
provision Government is no longer considered to be the only provider but is instead
engaged in controlling and financing services through the separation of the political
decision-making processes from the management side This new perception of the role of
the public sector role allows services to be delivered by partnerships made up of a range
of public and private actors As a result there is a need for more articulated forms of
cooperation and coordination than inter-agency systems
From the cross-case analysis we can deduce that ICTs contribute to the modernisation
of the social protection system because they allow
More productive care services and cost saving The cases analysed provide
evidence that ICT-enabled social innovation takes the traditional concept of
innovation ndash ie innovation improves productivity and in turn leads to economic
growth (in terms of GDP) ndash one step further They expand this paradigm to a
more complex development model which becomes crucial especially when
considering all the negative externalities (eg unemployment environmental
risks social exclusion etc) that characterise the current development models
The analysed development model can be seen as a form of economic and social
development which implies the sustainable use of all resources Sustainability
seems to be achieved by applying business principles to develop solutions to
social problems and social demands In this framework ICTs have led to the
creation of new jobs and improved the inclusion of marginalized categories of the
population in a virtuous and sustainable socio-economic circle They have enabled
social investments and social innovation to realise their full potential producing a
considerable mid- to long-term impact on society as a whole The cost savings
made in service provision is also crucial if we measure the contribution of social
and health care services to wellbeing These cost savings contribute to increasing
the portfolio of services or improving quality of services which as a result answer
peoplersquos needs better and decrease the burden of social services on tax payers
W2W part of the UK Welfare-to-Work programme was implemented by the
Polish public sector (Polish Government of Malopolska Region) as part of their
employment services It provides good evidence of the potential of ICT to enable
44
the development of a new cooperation model between public labour services
social support institutions non-governmental organizations and non-public
operators The programme aims to design and test outsourcing employment
(back-to-work) services with an individualized and thus more effective approach
to engaging the unemployed This profiling approach has increased the efficiency
of public spending as payments are only made when specific outcomes are
achieved (payment by results) The platform tested by the regional government
of the Malopolska (Cracow) Region serves as a new model for engaging the long-
term unemployed it includes all the information needed to better profile the
unemployed and fill the gap between job demand and workforce Specific
attention is paid to the long-term unemployed for whom the mechanism allocates
more resources in recognition of the greater difficulties faced when trying to re-
enter the job market Different activities are carried out to upgrade the
candidatesrsquo profiles in order to make them more ldquoattractiverdquo for employers The
mechanisms used to monitor and control the success of the activities upon which
payments to actors are based is enabled by ICT tools SDW has also developed
an integrated electronic work flow between companies and actors in the social
sector It aims to make available all the information needed by the social security
offices to calculate all social security contributions This significant ICT-driven
change resulted in a radical transformation paper data exchange was eliminated
and replaced by direct electronic data flows The burden on the administration
was reduced and so was the opportunity for fraud Coordination between services
increased benefiting both citizens and the publicprivate institutions The strategy
focused on digital solutions as a means of increasing service capacity and value
for money through greater efficiency cooperation and knowledge sharing It
enabled communities families and individuals to contribute to the generation of
societal wellbeing Another example is provided by the TDP experience which
showed the large potential benefits related to the cost effectiveness of the care
service delivery process However due to actual reductions in the number of beds
in care homes closure of hospital wards and other not always implemented
service adjustments these efficiency gains did not result in cash savings
Nevertheless based on the lessons learned through the TDP experience a new 3
year Technology-Enabled Care Programme costing pound30m was launched across
Scotland in 2014 This programme aimed to broaden outcomes for individuals in
homes or community settings through the application of technology as an integral
part of quality cost-effective care and support
Enhancing the quality of care The cases analysed showed how ICTs can
contribute to higher quality of service provision They enhance the quality of life
of care recipients improving their health-related quality of life and their social
participation their self-esteem and empower them with better access to services
and multi-channelling approaches They also enhance the quality of life of
relatives and care givers enabling them to reduce the burden of care and
allowing them to reconcile care and work Thus they make social care closer to
the individualrsquos life conditions Finally they also have a positive impact on the
quality of services by facilitating information sharing allowing the use of data
analytics to customise the service delivered and to enhance knowledge skills and
competences In EKSOTE ICTs made an important contribution to the process of
integration of the public and private organizations involved in social care services
for the older population in a functional cost effective and user-oriented
approach The initiative took a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation and prevention
approach to the care of older people at home giving them physical psychological
and sociocultural assistance The approach ensures that citizens have equal
access to social and health care services across the boundaries of municipalities
ICT made this initiative possible by integrating information across private and
public organizations along with the care service delivery process As a result the
criteria used to measure and assess needs has been standardised so that all
customers are treated equally in the assessment process This has allowed the
45
centralization of service needs assessment for the whole area by means of an
agile business process development approach This more efficient and
standardized process has given clients in the whole area better services and fairer
access to them Another good example of enhanced quality of care is ACTION
This initiative included remote provision of dedicated information and education
programmes which strengthen ability of older people and their relatives to care
for themselves and cope with the issues that typically arise for frail elderly
people Family carers received on-demand support through ICTs from local
service centres staffed with qualified professionals ICTs also supported
networking and mutual exchange between service users and facilitated the
sharing of information education and support to older people and their family
carers As a direct result the family carers felt more competent and secure in
their caring role and older people gained access to some of the opportunities
offered by todayrsquos information society In addition the service enhanced the
social inclusion of frail older people and their carers traditionally excluded from
the benefits of ICT and helped them gain more overall control over their own
lives enriching the caring relationship Finally professional carers experienced
improved job satisfaction and municipalities benefited from a more effective use
of available resources This was due to the multi-channel approach used to deliver
services which increased quality and led to a more efficient use of staffrsquos time In
the BSA initiative the integration between health and social care departments
was facilitated by the use of ICT through new approaches to service delivery
(such as telemonitoring and teleassistance) This shift from hospital-based or
residential assistance to forms of support at home resulted in considerable cost
reductions It increased the quality of life of both recipients and care givers and
gave rise to a more cost-effective model The change in citizensrsquo perceptions of
how public and private organizations should operate and contribute to wellbeing
had a great cultural impact which contributed to wellbeing promoting
commitment and reducing the digital divide in the district Another initiative
Little Bird addressed familiesrsquo needs to find a childcare service by optimising the
search facility on an ICT platform and providing organizational support to
childcare facilities By seeking to optimize the use of resources for both the
demand and supply side this ICT-based interactive process succeeded in mapping
the entire range of administrative functions used for the allocation of childcare
services This unique package of solutions offers advantages for parents who can
check online and in real-time all childcare services and availabilities From the
providersrsquo point of view the system allows them to predict the demand for their
services Finally public administrations also benefit from having an overview of
spare capacity or surplus demand in the childcare sector allowing them to better
tailor future policies The initiative offers a technical solution that allows more
integrated and cost-effective management of childcare services both public and
private This has contributed greatly to reducing externalities such as the child
care burden for families It has allowed them to increase their productivity and
achieve a better balance between family life work life and child care A book for
a roof finally shows how ICT can play a significant role in setting up a radically
new match between cultural investment and social need The use of ICT for
personal file management and profiling of competences and the use of internet as
an inclusive environment to involve homeless people enhancing their motivation
and increasing their chances of getting a job radically changed the existing
approach to homelessness problems It has therefore led to a paradigm shift in
the provision of social assistance services to the homeless
The set-up of one-stop-shop models Many of the cases analysed introduce
organizational models in which service users are provided with a single entry point
into social protection systems This simplifies organisation enhances service
delivery and boosts the uptake of services In many cases new models of service
provision have been developed which provide more accessible and user-friendly
information They improve the coordination among different levels of government
46
and reduce greatly the administrative burden on customers and providers We
identified several models from fully integrated and physically co-located services
to virtual information portals or frontlines of complex single agencies to umbrella
structures covering several agencies In some cases a single agency was created
to implement a ldquoone-stop shoprdquo offering a wide portfolio of services to its
customers for example INPS This organisation aims to optimise resources for
the entire portfolio of services (including social benefits and pensions) through
digital channels (amongst others the ldquocontact centrerdquo) It developed a completely
new service delivery model which allowed ldquoone shop stoprdquo access to services and
the continuous tracking and monitoring of ongoing service requests The initiative
produced positive outcomes for the Italian population as whole thanks to a
reduction in the payment of undue benefits and the increased transparency and
accountability of the overall system which allows requests and services to be
tracked With respect to public administration effectiveness the digitalisation of
services through INPS allowed the integration of initiatives with other public
operators in the welfare sector and with private intermediaries which avoided
overlaps and helped to optimize the use of public resources for the benefit of the
citizens INPS decreased the workload and made savings of around 1000 FTEs
thereby reducing the public administrationrsquos spending In other cases more
complex structures have been introduced for instance when the one-stop-shop
operates on top of partner organizations Here the aim is to maximize the
convenience also for clients of all other partners by integrating services eg
through intra-governmental partnerships This is the case of EESTIEE and CBSS
In EESTIEE ICTs have been used to build Estoniarsquos information gateway This
complex one-stop-shop mechanism for the provision of online procedures and
information has also fostered technical collaboration between different authorities
ICTs played a key role in the promotion of an extensive digitalisation of public
procedures and had a profound impact on Estoniarsquos operational and administrative
model It also changed the way business was promoted and supported As a
result users gained greater access and the system achieved greater efficiency
Transaction costs and duplication were reduced for citizens providers and
government alike ICTs changed the relationships between government and
citizens and other relevant stakeholders and led to the digital transformation of
public services They also transformed the way services were delivered The CBSS
case helps us understand how the introduction of a one-stop shop to implement
electronic service delivery can lead to a structural reform process In this
particular case ICTs transformed the delivery of social security services by
initiating a business reengineering process within and across all the 3000
organizations involved in the Belgian social security system At the same time
back-office functions were automatized significantly and this reduced the
duplication of information which was significant because of the sheer number of
social security actors The new ICT-based system significantly increased the re-
use of information and made it possible to send responses to beneficiaries and
civil servants automatically This led to a considerable simplification of procedures
and introduced a new more integrated and personalised way of communicating
with citizens and companies which is better aligned with the needs of the final
users
In a more specific field ndash that of unemployment ndash two other one-stop-shop approaches
provide good evidence on how ICTs can contribute to the modernisation of social
protection systems Pocircle Emploi and PES
Pocircle Emploi shows that by placing innovation at the centre of the reform of social
services structural improvements and sustainable outcomes can be achieved This
initiative fully digitalised the support services offered to jobseekers in order to bring them
closer to the labour market Pocircle Emploi improved its web-platform and developed free
online services for the matching of CVs and job offers e-counselling e-training etc
47
that can be accessed by any jobseeker or enterprise The impact achieved in terms of
facilitating access and take-up of employment services and meeting job-seekers
expectations and needs has been remarkable ICTs played a crucial role in this initiative
It developed a platform capable of providing a centralised and secure database of
unemployment information and it became an aggregator of labour market policies and
initiatives The Pocircle Emploi website is now the leading job site in France in terms of
number of users Its success is the reason for the subsequent launch of an ambitious
policy around big data for policy support
In the PES case ICTs have also played a vital role especially in targeting and identifying
final beneficiaries more effectively They have increased the value of employment-related
interventions and trust in government ICTs have led to more inclusive labour markets
and fostered self-employment especially via job market intermediaries They support
social inclusion employment and more general civil engagement activities which target
disadvantaged groups eg the disabled young people and people at risk of poverty and
social exclusion The one-stop shop developed in PES takes a revolutionary approach It
encourages more individuals to actively participate in the labour market and interact with
the government online by giving them the opportunity to use multiple delivery channels
and at times more convenient for them In this case ICTs have brought key benefits to
all stakeholders involved in public employment services and social services provision by
introducing a new optimised online system 90 of the services are delivered via digital
means and through digital interaction In this Dutch initiative digital platforms have
transformed many of the traditional interactions addressing the needs of job seekers
the young the disabled unemployed and employersrsquo requirements and especially setting
up partnerships with municipalities and empowering other social services
52 Social innovation elements which determined case success
Our cross-case analysis identified many innovation elements as key factors which could
in principle determine the achievement of relevant results and therefore the overall
success of an initiative These are briefly explained in this section
521 Active involvement of beneficiaries improves services delivery
Active involvement of beneficiaries and end users is crucial not only during the design
and implementation phases of the initiative but also in the continuous improvement of
the services delivered Mechanisms have been implemented for discussing and
monitoring results and for capturing information on customeruser satisfaction which
allow service providers to better address the needs of users In order to ensure easy
accessibility and usability of services complementary services and training programmes
have been provided These ensure that less technologically advanced users can reap the
benefits from the new service provision A good example is EESTIEE which built an
open process of co-creation and a collaborative innovation network between public
agencies and beneficiaries in an extensive reshaping of the relationships between
community and institutions TDP committed its national health system stakeholders to
rigorous collaboration which caused a fundamental change in their relationships CBSS is
another example of the involvement of beneficiaries which allowed both cross-sectoral
integration between public and private institutions and actors and vertical integration
among national regional and local administrations In terms of civil society
engagement Little Bird involved parents families and providers in the co-design
development and fine tuning of the solution it offered W2W used ICTs to redesign
employment policies and services provision with the cooperation of operators the
information they provided and their interaction with job seekers A similar approach was
followed by Pocircle Emploi which centralised unemployment information with secure
access aggregating and matching labour market supply and demand while supporting
beneficiaries with guided tutoring activity
48
522 Partnership and commitment at different levels are key
Another element of success across the initiatives analysed has been the involvement of
stakeholders representing different social needs and roles Their contribution of
knowledge information experience and resources of different kinds and from different
sources has allowed the definition of innovative solutions The engagement of
stakeholders at different levels was achieved not only because they were committed to
the implementation of the activities but also because it was in some cases the basis for
joint financing of the initiative itself The type of stakeholders identified in the cases
studied included beneficiaries (eg employed and unemployed people older people the
disabled the homeless etc) carers and families private and public service providers
(eg public authorities labour agencies libraries labour market consultants etc)
innovators and researchers (eg universities entrepreneurs and other private service
developers) health and social care professionals trainers and teachers non-profit
organisations (eg carer and patient organisations volunteer organisations trade
associations unions etc) and volunteers A very good example of commitment between
stakeholders at different levels is the INPS initiative which built a new model of service
delivery based on the synergies of different operators This led to a disruptive change in
service delivery through a multi-channel approach where all kinds of stakeholders
played a role including beneficiaries intermediaries and public institutions ACTION
benefitted from the close cooperation between service recipients developers and the
municipality which was of crucial importance for the initial implementation of the service
as well as for the later expansion of the ICT-based intervention which targeted clients
and their families at home PES created a real time labour market which benefitted from
the partnership between job seekers private providers and labour agencies at different
levels contributing to a fundamental change to the traditional services delivery EKSOTE
used the organizational integration of the providers to build a common access point for
users Finally BSA was made possible by cross-sectoral cooperation between social and
health care sectors providers and between providers recipients and caregivers
523 Developing a policy framework to support sustainability is needed
Political commitment andor a policy and regulatory context conducive to the
development and use of ICTs in social services are important enabling factors they
facilitate the success of the initiative and increase its chances of becoming sustainable
In most of the cases analysed policy programmes provided medium- to long-term
funding for the implementation of the initiatives This encouraged the creation of lasting
partnerships accelerated the decision-making process and facilitated the scaling up of
the outcomes achieved TDP for example was able to provide evidence about the
significant potential benefits of a more cost-effective care service delivery process
thanks to the Scottish Governmentrsquos commitment and financing in conjunction with the
National Health care system in Scotland In addition the adoption of a 3 year pound30m
Scotland-wide programme to support a new Technology-Enabled Care Programme
supported further development based on the lessons learned in the TDP experience
W2W is another example of how political commitment coupled with a European policy
which provides funding opportunities allowed the launch of a pilot and helped to
mainstream the service tested Thanks to the commitment of the Central Government
which is considering the potential inclusion of W2W as a model in the forthcoming Labour
Act the service may be transferred to national level In SDW the Danish Government
the local government and the Danish regions accelerated the digital transformation of
some core services in the healthcare sector and identified a number of projects and
initiatives for wider implementation This was facilitated by the national policy framework
in place Finally A book for a roof was supported politically and financially by the EIFL
Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and subsequent contributions from
various public institutions like the Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) and the Zagreb City
Council
49
524 Simplification and automation facilitate access to services
Generally the adoption of new technologies has simplified access to services and the
automation of processes which were traditionally based on a direct relationship between
providers and users The cases analysed contribute to the evidence base which shows
that the digital transformation of services has led to a reduction of the administrative
burden by offering more channels to deliver services increasing the transparency of
management flows and identifying needs and rights more clearly This transformation
also offers users greater autonomy in their use of the services It also reduces the time
and resources they need to engage with services and generally improves their
perceptions of service quality In the case of INPS this process resulted in a general
improvement of the image of public institutions among citizens cost savings and a more
diversified service offer by shifting resources to front-desk activities The adoption of
innovative technological solutions has been well received in the cases analysed partly
because it offers complementary services to support less technologically advanced users
and thus reduces the risk of digital exclusion This is the case of Pocircle Emploi EKSOTE
SDW and ACTION where the simplification and automation processes were implemented
together and intensive training was given to beneficiaries families and caregivers
Finally PASS shows how a transformative innovation which focused initially on the
simplification of procedures and automation processes radically modified the existing
mechanisms of services provision First the delivery of services to citizens was improved
by ensuring that resources were used effectively reducing duplication and fostering the
cooperation of different agencies to provide a continuum of care In turn this promoted
social responsibility pro-active participation and engagement in local communities
525 Electronic exchange of information enables service integration
The case studies show that a critical success factor for social innovation is the integration
of services at both management and delivery level The centralised provision of secure
information about beneficiary needs rights and benefits received has been crucial to
the integration between different providers This integration has allowed the
restructuring of procedures in a client-pathway approach and the provision of a single
entry point for users Shared information systems facilitate the interactions between
actors at various levels of governance (ie collaboration across multiple levels of
government) which in turn facilitate the cross-disciplinary management of different
social areas Information systems integration was generally achieved through the
implementation of progressive database integration coordinated case management and
exchange of data through multiple channels This process allows a more holistic and
client-centric approach that brings multiple services to bear on client needs In PASS
the information exchange between operators was enabled by a system that provided a
more sophisticated and up-to-date way of collecting key information about homeless
services and service take-up In TDP the sharing of information allowed providers to
mainstream telecare services in a number of local partnerships and to integrate health
and social care organisation in the services delivery INPS is a key example of how the
integration of information and its management resulted in huge and pervasive synergies
among public and private operators This led to a comprehensive redesign of service
management and provision in a more client-centred approach
526 Monitoring implementation is crucial to demonstrate results
Our analysis shows that the presence of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating
results has been an important element for the success of the initiatives analysed These
mechanisms permit the early identification of any concerns about the use of the services
Monitoring tools can check the direction taken during the implementation phase They
can also help to address emerging issues so that corrective measures can be taken to re-
calibrate the intervention to answer needs adequately Customer Relationship
Management tools measure customer satisfaction and capture usersrsquo perceptions with
50
respect to the services offered In some of the cases analysed some internal and
external evaluations were carried out The evidence provided highlighted the value of
collecting data on impacts and outcomes of the initiatives An interesting example in this
respect is W2W which developed a monitoring methodology It connected payments
made to labour agencies by the public authorities to outcomes This model also
implemented more effective and convincing dissemination activities which enhanced
awareness of the benefits of the initiative Furthermore in the BSA case an ICT tool was
used by all professionals and social workers to monitor in real time whether activities
programmed for each beneficiary actually took place This tool was also useful for the
payment system as external providers could use it to issue their bills to the BSA
organization Other relevant examples are CBSS PES and PASS CBSS developed tools
to provide statistics and other relevant information on the performance of the Social
Security system in a more comprehensive centralized way PES launched a methodology
to cluster and measure specific labour market data in order to carry out benchmarking
and ldquowhat ifrdquo analyses PASS developed tools to provide statistics to projects about
individual clients and the work of the project as a whole helping the future service
development plan
53 Evidence of impact on service integration
All the initiatives analysed have significant levels of integration of services
procedures sources of funding etc Most of them have achieved a high degree of
integration in many areas often both at the delivery system level and from an
organizational perspective for example the large scale initiatives such as INPS PES
PASS SDW BSA and TDP All these initiatives have had an impact on the service
management system from the identification of the various needs through production to
the channels of distribution In some cases there has been an impact on the promotion
and funding of the services Hence there is strong evidence for integration at many
different levels and in different areas
Even in those case studies where there seems to be less or no horizontal integration it is
possible to appreciate other forms or types of service integration This is particularly true
in EESTIEE Little Bird and Book for a Roof where the impact has been on a specific
aspect of service management eg administrative funding organizational or delivery
system Funding or administrative integration seems to be common in Continental
countries but less common in Central-Eastern welfare systems In contrast in the
Mediterranean Anglo-Saxon and Nordic groups of initiatives integration seems to
happen mostly at the organizational and delivery system levels
Nevertheless all the initiatives have achieved some level of integration by optimising
procedures and processes and in terms of the relationships with other operators and
stakeholders whose involvement has been redefined Most of the initiatives have
achieved inter-sectoral integration by improving coordination of the different operators
both private and public and a clearer definition of their respective roles in the production
and delivery of services especially through innovative public-private partnerships
Though the role played by the private sector in Mediterranean and Continental welfare
systems is not traditionally very proactive we found most cases of inter-sectoral
integration among these groups of countries For instance private operators participate
strongly and actively in the new service delivery models of INPS BSA Pocircle Emploi and
CBSS The role of private operators is crucial even when the initiative is driven mainly by
the public sector Similarly among the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries initiatives
private organisations (both for profit and not-for-profit) are strongly involved In these
cases (eg TDP and PASS) however they play a much more proactive role in service
design W2W the Polish case which adopted a British experience also falls into this
group
51
In the integration process ICTs are clearly an enabling factor which helps to leverage
the various types of information collected provide more targeted answers to the actual
needs of citizens and support the overall governance of the social services sector The
initiatives analysed show that the use of ICTs can enable intermediary operators social
workers and formal carers to play a central andor leading role thus contributing to
greater involvement of citizens in social services management The role of ICTs as
enabling factor was observed in nearly all the initiatives analysed where thanks to ICTs
volunteers and informal carers are playing a more important role regardless of the
welfare model in which the initiatives take place This suggests that it is a common trait
of all social innovation processes
An overview of the main social innovation elements identified in the 14 cases is
presented in Table 6 This table also shows the targeted beneficiaries and the main type
of integration achieved or pursued for each of the initiatives selected
52
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
A Book for a Roof (Croatia) Homeless people Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production A Book for a Roof invested in the employability and inclusion of the homeless by enhancing their skills improving their self-image and helping them build
self-confidence
Funding A Book for a Roof benefitted from an initial grant from the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) and built a
partnership with 8 other partners including the Zagreb Council which allowed gaining financial and operational support
ACTION (Sweden) Family carers and the older people
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production ACTION is a need-driven outcome-oriented production approach which developed a new service delivery system to support frail older people and their carers in their own homes with ICTs
Delivery system The initiative allowed a change in the delivery of services using ICTs to support clients in their families and homes
BSA (Spain) All social andor healthcare services recipients within the BSA territory
Public value allocationor reallocation Badalona City Council triggered the integration of health and social departments and sectors in the Badalona area using a userpatient-centric approach
Service Delivery BSA achieved the full integration of health and social care departments organizational structures service delivery models and funding schemes through an Integrated Care Plan which puts patient and users at the centre of the service production process It is a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and social services delivery
CBSS (Belgium) Social security institutions citizens companies intermediaries
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks The combination of back-office integration and ePortal solution developed through close collaboration among the about 3000 social security institutions in Belgium allowed both cross-sectorial
integration between public and private institutions and vertical integration of national-regional-local administrations
Organizational CBSS fostered an intensive collaboration among different operators and led to the development of a network for electronic information exchange addressing social security service delivery
EESTIEE (Estonia) Citizens foreigners national agencies
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks EESTIEE set up a collaborative innovation network between public agencies and private operators providing information assisting citizens and reshaping the relationships between community and institutions
Administrative EESTIEE fostered a huge administrative and organizational redesign of the public service delivery model and provided users with a unique access point
EKSOTE (Finland) Older people and long-term care patients welfare and social service public providers
Need-drivenoutcome-oriented production EKSOTE launched a new need-driven integrated approach which facilitates access to services and increases the transparency of the information management system
Organizational The initiative enabled the organisational integration of the providers and provided a common access point for clients
INPS (Italy) Unions intermediaries employment agencies healthcare professionals and Local Health Units (ASL) municipalities regions citizens
Public value allocationor reallocation The process started with a shift towards a need drivenoutcome oriented service production but led to a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Delivery system The initiative led to a complete redesign of the production process (organisational integration) and structural changes to the delivery system
53
Initiativersquos acronym Targeted beneficiaries Main social innovation element Main type of integration
Little Bird (Germany) Children and parents Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Little Bird promotes engagement in civil society parents and providers together with other relevant actors are involved in a collaborative innovation network to improve childcare facilities management
Delivery system Little Bird led to a new organizational support that provides childcare social service delivery process tackling the challenge of optimizing the use of resources while supporting both the parents and the municipalities
PASS (Ireland) Homeless people homeless agencies
Public value allocationor reallocation PASS was a revolutionary need-driven outcome-oriented production approach in which outcomes are intended to meet the needs of society or specific groups in society in a sustainable way It led to new public value re-allocation providing systematic information to agencies and operators in the field of homelessness allowing them to better plan and act
Organizational The initiative gave rise to a new organizational model involving public and private operators in the field and redesigned the services production process
PES (Netherlands) Job seekers (with focus also on disabled people) employers people on benefits
Need-drivenoutcome oriented production The PES NL reform is a need-driven ICT enabled initiative implementing the employee insurance scheme addressing unemployment workersrsquo rights maternity and sickness coverage
Organizational PES NL created a real time labour market place improving the matching between labour demand and offer through a new organizational channel
Pocircle Emploi (France) The unemployed job seekers public employment service organisations
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Pocircle Emploi developed a centralised and secure information system for unemployment data in order to become an aggregator of labour market players policies and initiatives
Delivery system Pocircle Emploi allowed extensive data collection and interchange among different operators public and private delivering a new approach for job matching
SWD (Denmark) Welfare benefit recipients
mainly the older people social and health services and education recipients
Public value allocation or reallocation
The strategy focused on digital solutions and means to rethink the service production process and increase service strategy to produce value for money and a better allocation within communities families and among individual with needs
Organisational
The Danish Strategy for Digital Welfare modernised public service production to ensure a more efficient and effective provision of public sector services by accelerating the take-up of ICT in frontline public services
TDP (Scotland) Older people in Scotland suffering from conditions like chronic diseases cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
Public value allocationor reallocation The TDP was a national government initiative implemented in rigorous collaboration with the Scottish national health system which developed an integrated care approach with its own funds and resources It provided a fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Organizational The TDP led to structural changes in the entire health care system of Scotland both in terms of organization and funding sources
W2W (Poland) Employment agencies the unemployed
Open process of co-creation collaborative innovation networks Express Train to Employment used ICTs to redesign the employment policies and services provision in an integrated way with the cooperation of institutions private operators and job seekers
Organizational Express Train to Employment used ICTs used ICT to enable PPP (public-private partnership) through a technological platform where all the actors could share information update data and co-design unemployed services parameters
Source Internal IESI elaboration
54
54 Support to the Social Investment Package objectives
541 General overview
Many of the 14 initiatives analysed relate to the key SIP objectives in that that they
often have an impact on the modernisation of social protection system through the
integration of service delivery Some examples are INPS BSA ACTION and Pocircle
Emploi Our analysis suggests that delivery of social protection systems is the main area
of modernisation and that it is where most disruptive innovations are found This is
apparent in the initiatives from the Mediterranean and Continental welfare models where
the public sector has played a central role in service management and delivery However
this role has become unsustainable because of the need to reduce public spending and
the increasing complexity of service demand The Continental modelrsquos centralized
approach to service delivery and the unbalanced way different social needs are met by
public services in the Mediterranean model are both issues which have been targeted by
recent welfare reforms Creative ways to cope with decreasing social spending and the
need to improve efficiency had to be found
Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries are focusing on social inclusion strategies Social
services initiatives in these countries are organised around the individual and hisher
capacity to continue contributing to society This is the case with TDP EKSOTE and
ACTION where social investments are directed at redesigning or reengineering services
in order to improve quality of life The Nordic welfare model rests on principles of
solidarity equality and a universalistic approach to welfare service provision Besides the
provision of fundamental social services to all citizens this model is characterized by
strong community involvement and the search for collaborative solutions to the needs of
very specific categories of people (in the above cases older people) Furthermore the
initiatives belonging to the Anglo-Saxon models though driven by a more liberal
approach to service delivery provide services for social categories which are excluded or
at risk of exclusion This is the case of TDP for older people in Scotland and PASS for the
homeless in Ireland W2W is also a good illustration of this in Poland where the
experience in the UK has been reproduced This shows that experiences from different
welfare models can be adapted and tailored to the circumstances in other welfare
models
Last but not least ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs
at critical moments during their lives seems to be a key target of the Central-Eastern
European initiatives we have analysed In these cases the post-communist approach to
social policies led to a situation in which people relied heavily on welfare policies although
the system was unable to respond adequately to the needs This may explain why
initiatives in this welfare model tend to be small scale or based on the involvement of the
private sector with the help of EU Funds For example of A Book for a Roof targets the
homeless and W2W the unemployed as mentioned above Further initiatives belonging
to the Continental welfare model like CBSS and Little Bird seem to focus mainly on the
needs of people in critical moments in their lives However these have been developed in
the wider context of social investment policies which aim to address wider ranging
problems such as childcare throughout Germany and social security in Belgium
Table 7 below provides an overview of the relationships between the initiatives and the
main SIP objectives
55
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives
Contribution to SIP Objectives
Modernizing social protection systems Spending more effectively and efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
Implementing active inclusion strategies Investing in peoples skills and capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the labour market
Investing in individuals throughout their life Ensuring that social protection systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
A Book for a Roof (Croatia)
A book for a Roof combined employment information management and technology (ICT) training to bring homeless people into the labour market
A book for a Roof helps job seekers improve their skills and boosts their motivation through psycho-social support As a result social protection services are able to respond to homeless people at critical moments in their lives
ACTION (Sweden) ACTION allowed a new approach to services through telematics interventions at home promoting more inclusiveness of older people and their families
BSA (Spain) BSA consisted in a great innovation in the social protection system especially concerning health and social care services since it integrated the two aspects under a unique beneficiary-oriented approach producing savings and improving the quality of services
The main aim of BSArsquos Integrated Care Plan is to empower people especially the older people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at home It also helped improve the quality of life of the beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers
BSArsquos integration initiative was triggered by the need to shift from the older paradigm in the delivery service model to a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of worsening of chronicity and other conditions and following the individuals throughout their entire life also thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as tele-monitoring and telecare
CBSS (Belgium) CBSS provided socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have reduced to a minimum the administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
CBSS fully integrated the work flows of 3000 social security institutions guaranteeing on-line management of the whole processes and a unique and fast access to all social rights and benefits
EESTIEE (Estonia) By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies EESTIEE led to the reshaping of the public model to produce and deliver services with a more effective and centralised approach
EKSOTE (Finland) EKSOTE led to the organizational integration of providers and a common access point for clients enabling a more adequate service provision
EKSOTE provided equal access to social and health care services to all citizens in its region of operation across the boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care processes according to which the same electronic patient record system is used in the health care centres and hospitals of all communities belonging to the organization
INPS (Italy) The process of computerization of services resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
The digitalisation of services changed the paradigm for the delivery service model which shifted towards a beneficiary-centric approach reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to peoples changing needs
56
Source IESI internal elaboration
Little Bird (Germany)
Little Bird provided a safe and convenient solution in the region it operates in across the boundaries of municipalities for the search for allocation and management of childcare services
Little Bird facilitated equal access to early childhood education through an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services
PASS (Ireland) PASS allowed a better inclusion of homeless people redesigned the production process of services improving the integration opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of this category of fragile people
PASS allowed a better outcome-oriented service production which meets the needs of the homeless and is managed in a centralised and more integrated way
PES (Netherlands)
The initiative allowed to cluster information of the labour market at a macro-level and take into account each regionallocal labour market peculiarities producing more efficient results at all PES levels and better outcomes for job seekers
PES allowed to meet critical employment needs building a real time labour market place enhancing the matching between labour demand and offer
Pocircle Emploi (France)
Pocircle Emploi has established itself as coordinator of French initiatives intermediation and an aggregator of other market players enhancing the effectiveness of the employment support
Pocircle Emploi personalized the employment support services improving the job demand and offer matching and aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations employers or business organizations
SDW (Denmark) SDW accelerated the use of ICT and welfare technology in frontline public service delivery with concrete initiatives speeding up the use of efficient and effective digital and technological solutions in healthcare care for the elderly social services and education
TDP (Scotland) TDP improved the inclusion of older people and
their families investing in the capacity of people suffering from conditions like chronic disease cognitive impairment frailty and related comorbidities
TDP produced a structural change in the entire
health care system of Scotland demonstrating how telecare could contribute to the safety and quality of life of older people while significantly reducing costs of health and social care
W2W (Poland) W2W improved the mechanisms to reduce unemployment rates achieve sustainable employment and established partnerships in order to identify synergies and effective and pervasive solutions
W2Wrsquos centralized management of information flows allowed categorizing the employment needs in order to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in the labour market
57
542 Impact on the modernisation of social protection systems
In order to assess how and to what extent the selected initiatives contribute to the
modernisation of welfare systems we have grouped and analysed them in relation to the
following three key areas of welfare
Social security and employment which includes social assistance social care
employment and employability
Social inclusion and participation which includes social inclusion social
housing civic engagement education and training and childcare
Active healthy ageing and care which includes integrated health and social
care prevention health promotion and rehabilitation independent living
a) Impact of the cases on social security and employment
Out of the 14 initiatives analysed 6 implemented changes in social security and
employment as shown in Table 8 below
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment
Initiatives Summary of impact
INPS (IT) PES (NL)
These two initiatives have transformed employment and the delivery of benefit services to those underserved in an innovative fast and cost-efficient manner (almost all the services are delivered using digital means) Their revolutionary approach allows more individuals to actively participate interact with the government online giving them the chance to use multiple delivery channels with more convenient timeframes
SDW (DK) CBSS (BE)
Thanks to ICTs CBSS and SDW have built a unique information management model which allows carrying out historical and prospective analyses and therefore improving policies and regulations
W2W (PL) Pocircle Emploi (FR)
W2W and Pocircle Emploi have developed innovative competences and job potential profiling tools based on the use of extensive information which allow better assessing actual needs and thus improving the matching between job seekers and employers
Source IESI internal elaboration
Social security and employment refers to the provision of social services and benefits to
support citizens who are unable to meet their most fundamental needs by themselves
This includes their ability to be active on the labour market and receiving a decent
income which allows them to preserve their dignity
The 6 initiatives that have an impact in this area are citizen-centric and propose radical
changes in the approach to social services design and delivery These are the two key
interrelated elements of a new and more sustainable welfare system These initiatives
trigger a review of the portfolio of services offered in order to adapt them to existing and
upcoming societal challenges and reduce public spending
This can be seen very clearly in the initiatives in the Mediterranean and Continental
welfare models where a trend towards more equitable treatment and more
publicprivate partnerships reveals an important cultural change Nevertheless the
initiatives implemented in the Anglo-Saxon group of countries also show a strong focus
on change for instance with the greater implementation of one-stop-shop approaches
Existing approaches to implementing new models of management of social security
services have been rethought in order to improve critical aspects of existing delivery
systems
58
The issues that these initiatives tackle include
The lack of a systematic and comprehensive vision in the relevant social
services legislation
The fragmentation of the actors and institutions directly and indirectly
involved in the regulation financing and delivery of services
The low level of technological innovation in the management of data and
relevant information
The lack of integration between the institutional players in charge of providing
social services and the beneficiaries
The demand for better quality which requires services to bring true added-
value
Reshaping the way services to citizens are produced managed and distributed is
common to all these initiatives It involves extensive integration mainly within public
administrations but also with private operators and intermediaries Most initiatives in this
cluster are led by public sector actors and focus on a thorough rethinking of the delivery
model which leads to a reengineering of the services alongside a revision of the
governance model
The initiatives represent radicaltransformative innovations which by leveraging on ICTs
modify the existing mechanisms of services provision and lead to a paradigm shift that
reframes the nature of the specific problems to be addressed and their possible solutions
Most of the initiatives focus on changing the service provision paradigm to adopt a more
client-centric approach often through the use of one-stop-shops They all seek to
improve access to services distribute resources more fairly and reduce the
administrative burden on users of the service
In all these initiatives ICTs have contributed strongly to inter-sectoral integration They
foster collaboration between government and service delivery providers in the private or
non-for-profit sectors through the shared use of well-structured technological tools The
new model implemented by the initiatives is based on the development of client
pathways which aim to improve service access ensure greater accountability and
transparency in the system as a whole and allow citizens to have greater control over
information that concerns them
The new service delivery model allows one-stop shop access to services fosters the
modernisation of processes and procedures for the management and delivery of services
and allows the continuous tracking and monitoring of service demand In these cases
ICT-enabled social innovation can act as an enabling factor For example ICTs can help
us obtain a complete and more systematic understanding of social security needs and
support e-learning services Thus they can help to improve the employability of an
individual over time andor to improve the integration of the back offices of
organizations in charge of managing social benefits
In some cases ICTs play a game changing role as they enable the integration of
information from different sources which fulfils profiling needs much more accurately
Thus it is possible to customize the service delivered which optimizes both outcome and
citizen satisfaction By allowing better targeting and identifying beneficiaries more
effectively ICTs play a huge role in increasing the value of interventions and citizensrsquo
trust in government Furthermore ICT-based solutions also support social policy reforms
by promoting active inclusion in the labour market
b) Impact of the cases on social inclusion and participation
Another 4 initiatives out of our case selection focused on social inclusion and participation
as shown in Table 9 overleaf
59
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation
Initiative Summary of impact
Little Bird (DE)
PASS (IE)
Little Bird and PASS use ICTs to enhance the modernisation of
social services from several perspectives amongst others better synchronization of the public and private offer of services greater cost-effectiveness reduction of overbooking of services and at the same time reduction of the negative externalities affecting care givers due to the lack of solutions to reconcile family life social inclusion and wellbeing
A book for a roof (HR)
In A book for a roof ICT courses are used to provide homeless with a wider set of competences and to boost their self-esteem as well as to encourage take-up of available public social services The library created a Resource Centre in the shelter now staffed by homeless people The use of ICT allows focusing on the potential of homeless people and training them to become trainers for other people in need
EESTIEE (EE) In EESTIEE ICTs support citizens by enhancing their access to and use of information and services enabling self-help and reducing dependency from the state giving individuals access to both broader contacts and the local services to which they are entitled
Source IESI internal elaboration
The above social inclusion initiatives mainly target disadvantaged groups or people at risk
(eg the disabled people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in general) These
interventions aim to reduce or eliminate barriers to social inclusion by supporting
individuals They help disadvantaged people reach or maintain a higher level of social
inclusion and dignity while reducing the burden on caregivers In general the needs
addressed in this social policy area derive from a complex set of problems that require
the simultaneous provision of structural solutions and first-aid interventions cutting
across several social inclusion domains (eg health social assistance daily subsistence
etc)
The initiatives in this cluster offer a set of solutions based on a case-management
approach They focus on the provision of quality information and on helping all operators
involved (public and private) understand analyse and better answer the needs of
excluded people through the use of real-time information technology All the initiatives
analysed improve service delivery thanks to a shared information system This facilitates
the interaction of operators and citizens improves the efficiency of services through
more effective use of resources and less duplication of effort and facilitates the
cooperation of all operators who can work together better to provide a continuum of
care
ICT-enabled social innovations in these cases play several roles They enable services to
improve the cost-effectiveness of the collaboration and coordination of the public and
private actors involved in service delivery processes (in these initiatives those
stakeholders which are more aware of the needs of the vulnerable people play an
important role in partnerships) ICTs also act as game-changers by helping public and
private service providers understand the behaviour of people with needs This in turn
serves to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the social service delivery
model Moreover ICTs provide stakeholders with new channels of effective
communication and new ways of interacting This also includes the beneficiaries which
increases their opportunities for social inclusion reduces the risk of isolation and
increases the opportunities to contribute to society ICT per se can also be a tool for
inclusion For example A Book for a Roof targets vulnerable people who are also
digitally excluded The lack of digital skills exacerbates existing social disadvantages
(Ellen J Helsper 2008) The initiative is structured around the strong belief that access to
computers the Internet and other forms of technology has a significant impact on these
peoplersquos chances of finding a job or building a social network
60
c) Impact of the cases on active and healthy ageing
The main focus of three of the cases we analysed was active and healthy ageing (see
Table 10 below)
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing
Initiative Summary of impact
TDP (Scotland) EKSOTE (FI) ACTION (SE)
In TDP EKSOTE and ACTION ICTs play a crucial role for monitoring activities (automatic data detention and information about health status) and for real time interactions with beneficiaries providing advisory services at home to prevent adverse events and unplanned hospitalizations The disruptive transformation of the care processes allows home care treatments for both patients with chronic diseases (eg COPD CVD HF etc) and ageing patients in general Formal and informal care givers can benefit from using such innovations which promote self-management and empower users in the process of shifting the balance in terms of control and increasing the capacity to live independently at home
BSA (ES) In BSA ICTs allowed building the electronic record that gathers all the documents containing relevant information about the status and progress of a patient during the care process Thanks to the interoperability between information systems it eliminated the duplication of diagnostic tests The result is a tool for professionals which provides updated relevant information to guide them in the decision making process (it is also a useful database accessible from any location and care level) therefore promoting continuity of care and coordination between primary and specialised care IT also fosters the development of telemedicine and telecare services
Source IESI internal elaboration
Consideration of active and healthy ageing and healthcare is crucial in view of the
challenges posed by ageing societies to the current set-up of public services delivery The
IESI research has analysed the themes of ldquoIndependent living for older peoplerdquo
ldquoIntegrated health and social carerdquo and ldquoPrevention health promotion and rehabilitationrdquo
demonstrating the great potential ICT-enabled social innovation has in these fields
The three initiatives analysed here adopt new approaches to public services design and
implementation and follow the recent trends in the efforts made by Member States to
deal with growing societal challenges It has become increasingly difficult to match
service demand and supply adequately and there is constant pressure to achieve greater
cost-effectiveness reduce public expenditures for social services and improve
stakeholder participation in the service delivery process These new initiatives illustrate
the paradigm shift towards more proactive public interventions and social policies They
seem to confirm that the social innovation potential offered by the integration of services
plays an important role in reshaping social relationships and collaboration and in the
redesign of care processes In this context citizens and patients experience significant
changes in their roles and relationships with care professionals service providers care
givers etc
In these cases ICTs can drive the organizational transformation of service delivery The
main advantages of this transformation consist in the building of synergies among
services the avoidance of overlaps and the strengthening of inter-governmental and
inter-sectoral integration among the service providers These factors make management
systems more productive and service delivery processes more efficient ICTs help ensure
the overall sustainability of the service in the long term in line with the SIP objectives
which aim to promote active inclusion with significant savings in care services delivery
The impact on the care system and on care professionals is considerable because
integration can lead to the creation of new services which complement or substitute
existing ones Outcomes in terms of savings can be significant due to better alignment of
resources and needs and a redefinition of the role of public interventions and
professional care
61
55 Sustainability and transferability of the cases analysed
This section discusses the sustainability of the initiatives analysed and whether they can
be adopted in other contexts Although this discussion was not an explicit objective in the
analytical framework used for the cross-case analysis it is nevertheless related because
it takes a horizontal perspective on all the variables taken into account in our analysis
and the previous findings In fact the capacity of ICT to promote social innovation and
social investments can be measured in terms of the actual sustainability of an ICT
innovation and to what extent it can be scaled up in different contexts within the same
framework or in entirely new environments At the same time the contribution of ICT to
organizational change and to reshaping service design and delivery processes has a long-
term impact in light of the need to structurally reform social protection systems This
section therefore focuses particularly on the success factors that allow the transfer of
knowledge of the infrastructure and of the funding model to other contexts or to more
complex systems
We consider that our case studies show that the knowledge policies and solutions
developed in good practices can be promoted for wider development implementation and
transferability at a local national or European level Thus they can promote the
modernisation of social protection systems through funding policy leadership and by
fostering stronger cooperation among stakeholders Transferability refers to the potential
maximization of lessons learned from the experiences gained in a local setting or in a
pilot by implementing these experiences (or parts of them) in a wider context be it
geographical or organisational
All the cases analysed were selected for their potential sustainability and ease of wider
replication Nevertheless even though a case seemed to have good potential scalability
transferability always depends on a number of contextual variables which may affect the
actual chances of success in replicating the experience (eg funding political context
regulations etc)
Some of the cases analysed acknowledged this limitation and provided evidence of why
the potential for scaling up remained unexploited This seems to be the case of A Book
for a Roof where the need for resources and financial contributions from other library
networks or municipalities also at a European level was recognised as a barrier to
scaling up The lack of an effective policy at local regional national and EU level which
could push the adoption of ICT-based solutions in healthcare and finally the lack of
funding for large trials which could demonstrate the effectiveness of the services seemed
to be the main barriers to wider implementation of ACTION - even though the service
presented a high level of standardization and could be easily implemented in a wider
context and other EU Member States Only the Borarings municipality decided to make the
ACTION initiative part of its mainstream services for older citizens living at home and
their family carers Wider implementation by other municipalities did not follow mainly
because of the tension between the municipalities yearly budgets and the significant
long-term investment required Policy makers opted for cheaper quick-fix solutions over
services that implied waiting longer for returns An added difficulty is the tendency of
municipalities not to invest in prevention Our analysis shows that a barrier to the wider
implementation of the PASS initiative was its technology PASS relies on a new cloud
technology-based computing system which is not fully available outside Dublin Thus
further development and a specific data strategy would be needed for the initiative to be
replicated at national level or for it to be exported to other EU Member States Finally
PES also experienced difficulties as some of its target users were not sufficiently digitally
skilled or were illiterate and thus excluded from accessing services online (estimated to
be 10 of citizens) In this case the rigidity of the model and the lack of a multi-channel
approach which would allow direct contact or telephone assistance seemed to hinder the
transferability of the initiative It seems that a mix of physical and digital services may be
required as digital services do not allow the inclusion of those who lack digital skills
62
On the other hand some of the cases analysed have already been transferred or will be
scaled up We identified three main groups of successfully transferred practices
Scaling up and transferring activities This is the case of SDW and BSA SDW
scaled up to national level successful projects which had been tested at local level
Out of 25 projects 7 projects will be implemented nationally by 2017 Scaling up
BSA proved to have considerable potential since it allowed external professionals
to work within the integrated care system and private investments to flow in The
initiative mainly relied on the integration of the social and health care
departments This process has been consolidated in Catalonia There were plans
to scale this initiative up to national level as it had been identified and showcased
as a good practice by the Spanish government It could also be transferred to
other countries and has indeed been studied by other international institutions
(such as the University of Udine) The case of EESTIEE is somewhat different
Here there were no plans to develop further functionalities content andor
services in the future release of the gateway However the benefits reaped will be
used to include services from other fields (eg adding notification services in
cooperation with various institutions informing users about this service and
expanding entrepreneur-orientated functionalities) EKSOTE has been considered
a good practice by the Finnish government A law has been passed according to
which all districts in Finland will have to adopt this kind of service model by the
end of 2019 thus the initiative will be scaled up nationwide The piloting system
takes advantage of existing components in social and healthcare sector
organizations which do not require major investments or changes in the
architecture system The existing methodology makes it perfectly possible to
transfer the experience to other European contexts The transferability of some
initiatives has been indirectly confirmed by funding activities for example TDP
organised a number of knowledge dissemination activities and various knowledge
transfer events (conferences workshops etc) in the UK and Europe The
evaluation of the programme was also widely shared electronically It is one of the
good practices in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing for which Scotland was awarded 3 Star Reference Site status Evidence of
its transferability can be seen in the launch of two important programmes jointly
funded by the EC and the Scottish Government (United4Health and SmartCare)
which support people with long-term conditions living in Ayrshire Renfrewshire
and Lanarkshire The objective is to leverage telecare services in these local
communities and to transfer the experiences of Scottish telecare across the EU28
W2W transferred the British W2W experience to the Region of Malopolska where
the model is perfectly replicated The Polish Government is planning to expand the
project to other regions and has devised a new systematic intervention to re-
engineer the social welfare support to the long-term unemployed at a national
level based on the outcomes of W2W
Technology and structural transferability This was the case of Pocircle Emploi that
was scaled up by the agreement signed in December 2014 for 2015-2018 with
the Government and UNEDIC The scale up of the initiative was oriented to
enhance the opportunities offered by the portal in the direction of establishing
itself as the coordinator of French intermediation initiatives and as an aggregator
of other market players The CBSS experience also provides important lessons for
governments that are striving to improve services for the users and especially for
companies by adapting internal and external processes with the help of modern
technologies The CBSS systemrsquos architecture could evolve into a Pan-European
service andor be transferred to other European contexts thanks to its
compliance with international technological standards Little Bird was considered
good practice by another 25 German municipalities which are planning to
implement it Local administrations showed great interest in the initiative because
it helps make significant cost savings In addition all the modules of the solution
are closely integrated which makes it highly adaptable to local requirements Its
63
open software means that this project can be easily scaled up in other
communities cities and countries and evolve to a European level Another
relevant example of technology transferability is the case of INPS which takes
advantage of the ldquomobile erardquo Due to the decisive role that its ICT assets can
play within the Italian public sector the Italian Institute of Social Security (INPS)
is becoming a ldquohubrdquo for Italian institutions not only in employment services but
also in the overall social protection system INPS has invested significantly in ICT
infrastructure in the last decade in order to implement the INPS digitalisation of
services It is now in a position to lead the public inter-operability and information
exchange process The legal framework envisaged for the implementation of the
Public Connectivity System (SPC) which is one of the main pillars of the
implementation of the European Digital Agenda also contributed to this
64
6 Conclusions
61 Key results
611 General contribution from ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives
To sum up it is worth repeating that ICTs do make an important contribution especially
when combined with further elements that through the case studies and the cross-case
analysis have been identified as key drivers of successful ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives
The involvement of beneficiaries in all phases of an initiative (including design
implementation and follow-up) might be enabled by the use of ICTs and in turn it
contributes to exploiting one of the main potential attributes of ICTs ie to support the
development of new relational mechanisms As a consequence the building of
partnerships and stakeholder commitment at different levels (eg to implement or even
jointly finance an initiative) is crucial to take full advantage from the contribution offered
by ICTs especially when the public sector needs to implement a policy targeted to
different types of beneficiaries In particular political commitment and a certain ability to
shape broad policy frameworks are both conducive to the use and development of ICT in
social services The development of monitoring tools alongside an ICT-based innovation
to demonstrate results and facilitate transferability is a further key factor for making an
initiative successful
Moreover it is worth noticing that the contribution ICTs are able to offer is especially
strengthened by clear information exchange and multi-channel approaches This depends
on the fact that such approaches ndash as emerged from the different case studies analysed
ndash are a key enabler of integration ICTs facilitate the sharing of information and enable
the integration of services thus enhancing the impact of social services delivery
As detailed in presenting the case studies and the cross-case analysis it is possible to
appreciate that the contribution of ICTs to integration processes and therefore to the
improvements of social service delivery might assume different shapes
For instance ICTs create client pathways and focus on outcomes they enable a more
targeted and personalized approach that allows clients with complex needs to receive
coordinated services Moreover ICTs provide evidence of demonstrable improvements to
outcomes delivered
ICTs also allow greater coordination between different levels of government which is
essential to improving system integrity and reducing duplication and gaps in service
provision This contribution might have positive consequences also with regard to the
social service provider accountability When the latter is the public sector greater
accountability and transparency mean in turn a contribution in terms of their democratic
legitimacy establishing indeed a closer and trustworthy relationship between itself and
the citizens
In line with the mentioned improvement of the relationships between the public sector
and citizens a further contribution ICTs give to the simplification and an easier take-up
of services needs to be mentioned the consolidation of the one-stop-shopno-stop-shop
approach Through such a way to re-design the access to services users are provided
with a single entry point into social protection systems making of ICTs an important
medium for the institution-citizen relationship
By bringing together stakeholders from public private and not-for-profit sectors in formal
networks ICTs help to address complex social problems through coordinated local level
interventions including resource sharing and joint social investment strategies In other
words the potential of ICTs through partnership creation and network integration
allows offering clients seamless assistance and care
65
Overall ICTs play an important role in the modernization of social protection systems
enhancing social services quality and equal opportunityfair access ICTs are especially
effective with regard several dimensions ICTs can (i) support the process of social
services delivery reform by offering opportunities for open collaboration and
participation (ii) help to fully digitalise processes and improve payment mechanisms
which saves on operational costs and provides benefits (iii) increase the effectiveness of
interventions and reducing social services fragmentation and duplication across
organisations and countries (iv) make social services more proactive and closer to the
point of need by identifying and targeting beneficiaries effectively (v) provide a way of
increasing accountability while transforming and extending service delivery to the
underserved
612 ICT-enabled social innovation contribution to the implementation of the Social Investment Package objectives
The case studies and the cross-case analysis provide useful insights into the factors that
have been critical to an initiativersquos success and into the role ICTs play in social
innovation They also show how these factors affect the pursuit and achievement of the
Social Investment Package objectives
a) Modernizing social protection systems spending more effectively and
efficiently to ensure adequate and sustainable social protection
By building a collaborative innovation networks between public agencies or departments
many initiatives reshaped the public model to produce and deliver services with a more
effective and centralised approach (EESTIEE) In particular the exploitation of ICTs
resulted in the generation of new public value which improved the sustainability of the
social protection system the traceability of information flows and the fight against frauds
(INPS) The contribution ICTs give to the modernization of social protection system is
often and mainly related to their ability to reduce to a minimum the administrative
burden for citizens companies and civil servants (CBSS)
b) Implementing active inclusion strategies investing in peoples skills and
capacities to improve peoples opportunities to integrate in society and the
labour market
The combination of employment information management and ICT training allows the
redesigning of the production process of services the improvement of integration
opportunities within society and the inclusiveness of fragile people especially into the
labour market (A Book for a Roof W2W ACTION) The integration of services
facilitated by the use of ICTs aims to empower people especially homeless people older
people and the more fragile improving their skills and ability to remain independent at
home or to find job opportunities It also helped improve the quality of life of the
beneficiaries their relatives and their care givers Moreover the equal access to health
and social care services to all citizens in the region of operation across the boundaries of
municipalities directly contributes to strengthening the inclusiveness of social protection
systems and therefore to enhancing peoples opportunities to integrate in society
(EKSOTE TDP)
c) Investing in individuals throughout their life ensuring that social protection
systems respond to peoples needs at critical moments during their lives
By recognising the importance of skills and active inclusion strategies through psycho-
social support many initiatives succeeded in boosting beneficiaries motivation which
66
responded to their needs at a critical moment in their lives (A Book for a Roof W2W
ACTION) The contribution offered by ICTs often consists of changing the paradigm for
the delivery service model which might shift towards a beneficiary-centric approach
reducing the risk of unfit and undue benefits and formulating innovative responses to
peoples changing needs (INPS BSA CBSS) The ability to adapt to peoples needs is
achieved by ICTs through personalization of services especially important in the field of
employment support services where it contributes to improving job demand and supply
matching by aggregating job offers from partner sites private platforms associations
employers or business organizations (Pocircle Emploi PES)
62 Policy implications
Findings from the analysis of case studies allowed us to draw some general policy
implications for policy making at local national and EU level A first set of policy
implications is related to the issue of welfare systems sustainability With regard to this
first dimension the aim is to spot some major social issues in which ICTs might offer an
important support without structural or wider reform attempts A second set of policy
implications is based on the fact that in order to take full advantage of the potential ICT-
enabled social innovation initiatives have some contextual and complementary policy
initiatives are needed Finally a third set of policy implications mainly deals with the
needed administrative changes and the required financial support especially in view of a
more systematic and systemic exploitation of ICT-enabled social innovation potential
I Not only are ICTs enabling factors for the modernisation of social protection
systems they can also safeguard the sustainability of welfare systems
themselves
As some of the cases analysed seem to demonstrate for instance CBSS PASS SDW
and BSA ICTs contribute to solving the structural imbalance between emerging and
growing social needs (which require that services be implemented more effectively) and
the decreasing or limited financial resources available to do so
In particular the cross-case analysis shows that ICT-enabled social innovation can help
social services to
Cope with demographic trends an increasing number of individuals are affected
by different health and social conditions and require multiple services
Technological advances have made it possible to link information across
programme areas and to identify individuals with complex needs and hence target
them better
Live up to beneficiariesrsquo expectations people are becoming more and more used
to having access to information and services through web and mobile devices
New digital technologies are transforming the way individuals can interface with
service providers across a range of industries including the social services and
more generally the welfare area
Reduce unemployment one important element to be considered is the labour
market participation of all members of the working-age population A new wave of
welfare-to-work schemes based on ICTs have been adopted by governments
trying to reduce demand and supply-side barriers that prevent individuals from
finding sustained employment thus improving the matching of labour supply and
demand
Cope with budget constraints high levels of sovereign debt have led to
widespread public sector austerity measures in many developed economies These
pressures mean that service integration and optimisation are becoming
increasingly attractive options for governments looking for higher cost
67
effectiveness in service delivery Allocating higher percentages of resources and
incentives to ICT innovation is therefore crucial
Improve the evidence base solid evidence is needed for resources to be allocated
to the most effective and efficient initiatives They must be scaled up or
transferred to other contexts ICT tools that include predictive analytics
functionalities allow us to leverage the evidence collected and better allocate
resources on the basis of the specific needs of different target groups
Raise awareness ICT tools allow the systematic collection of information
regarding the policy interventions undertaken and its results This data can then
be shared in order to inform policy makers and support the decision making
process to develop or adapt future policies
II Technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition for social innovation
and social investment to fully deliver on their promises
As shown in some of the cases ICTs are crucial but sometimes not sufficient to achieve
the expected benefits For ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives to fully realise their
potential other enabling factors must come into play
Workforce development the empowerment of workers (eg in care) and job
seekers requires investment in their skills and competences They must also be
given new and flexible ways of participating in the labour market Employers and
public institutions must invest in multidisciplinary andor cross-organisation
working groups They must also envisage staff co-location and develop joint
training arrangements that foster knowledge transfer at all levels and fill any
skills gaps that may arise This also requires the creation of new roles and a
review of existing jobs in order to adapt them to the changing environment and
the evolving needs of the workforce (see ACTION INPS Digitalization of services
and Pocircle Emploi)
Regulatory frameworks regulations on data sharing procedures need to be eased
integrated case management by government agencies and private and third
sector providers should be promoted and the development of innovative
initiatives should be facilitated Adequate regulatory frameworks are essential for
the integration of such practices into actual practices and for scaling up (see TDP
PES NL and EKSOTE)
Funding and contracting payment-by-results mechanisms for funding schemes
seem to be efficient in promoting coordinated interventions to address common
and shared social problems in an outcome-oriented approach Other schemes
such as ldquopersonal budgetsrdquo (sums of money allocated by a local authority to
service users to be spent on services to meet their needs) produce effective
incentives because they enable users and case managers to freely purchase the
desired mix of services from authorized providers Thus they foster the creation
of a competitive social services marketplace in which services are closer to the
needs of the users Contracting and tendering reforms have been implemented in
order to encourage integration and collaboration among different service providers
(see W2W and A Book for a Roof)
III ICTs development and implementation must be combined with re-
engineering of organizational structures so that they can cope with the
innovations This also requires finding resources eg the European
structural funds
Simplification of service procedures through an open-government approach the
increase in information and knowledge exchange and in openness and
transparency provide new opportunities for public administrations to offer user-
68
friendly services At the same time they can reduce costs and the administrative
burden The open government approach can encourage this transformation by
opening up public data and services and enhancing collaboration for the design
production and delivery of public services Open processes activities and
decisions enhance transparency accountability and trust in government (see
EESTIEE Little Bird and PES)
Use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 period to
further finance ICT-based developments in the social sector National and regional
authorities are in charge of drafting their Partnership Contracts - Partnership
Agreement with the European Commission which form the basis for delivering ESI
funds These institutions can therefore play a proactive role in both the allocation
of resources and in the fundraising activities needed to meet the co-financing
requirements These resources can be used to finance initiatives that for
instance help transfer experiences from one country to another (see W2W)
63 Future research
The case studies and the cross-case analysis have helped us identify a number of gaps
that future research could address More systematic collection and publication of
data on relevant initiatives are needed In order to gather as much information as
possible on the identified initiatives and to collect as many relevant opinions and points
of view that could add value to the information gathered through desk research the
research team interviewed relevant stakeholders for each of the selected initiatives
However even though the interviews made it possible to draft in-depth analysis reports
and allowed the research team to better understand the case studies getting in touch
with additional stakeholders would have been desirable Since information is often
difficult to find direct interactions with stakeholders can be the only way to access
relevant and important information on activities performed resources allocated
outcomes achieved barriers encountered and lessons learnt More efforts should go into
making the results of these initiatives public and data (eg on outcomes) should be
more systematically collected Another difficulty faced by the research team is the
breadth of the research field and the limited resources available for developing case
studies which are a time and resource-consuming exercise per se Indeed developing 14
case studies covering 14 different countries has been a challenging exercise which only
gives a snapshot on half the EU Member States In order to obtain a more solid evidence
base greater coverage of the different services and geographical areas would be
desirable This would enhance the validity of the findings in the cross-case analysis A
continuation of this research should perhaps focus on a specific area such as employment
or social inclusion Further initiatives could be identified in that selected area through
country studies each of which would target a given number of initiatives This could be
effectively achieved by involving key informants in the selected countries
Due to the ICTs potential for integration within social service provision the future of
welfare is a welfare characterized by a growing role of collaboration and partnerships
between different sectors This is something that will affect the direction of future
research Moreover the spread of partnerships and inter-sectoral integration processes
have also been recognised as part of a strategy in support of social policy innovation
initiatives and it could be interesting to explore these further since they could offer the
policy maker new organizational mechanisms in which data intelligence and business
models effectively contribute to social change
It is important to answer the question of whether social policy innovation strategies
especially those enabled by ICTs can be embedded in the policy design and if so how
and under what conditions In other words it is important to deal with the question
whether social policy innovation initiatives in general and ICT-enabled social innovation
initiatives in particular be considered as part of the policymaker toolbox
69
At the same time it is also important to be aware that social policy innovation strategies
will not be the panacea for all welfare state challenges but rather one of the social
protection layers of future welfare systems In fact according to the literature on the
future of welfare systems there are other measures that need to be considered such as
supplementary minimum income schemes and supplementary employment benefits
schemes
Nevertheless social policy innovation initiatives especially those in which ICTs play an
important role represent an important means of modernising social protection systems
ICTs need to be used as part of a broader strategy designed and led by the public sector
which becomes an even more important actor and will also take on the task of
coordinating these multi-layered welfare systems
Thus we suggest that a broader inventory of effective social policy innovation initiatives
should be compiled and researched This would help us answer some of the questions
that emerged from the IESI research and described in this report lsquohow can the public
sector ie the Member States pursue this ambitious taskrsquo lsquowhat kind of tools do
Member States need to harness a multi-layer welfare system of this kindrsquo and
especially lsquowhat type of knowledge do national and supranational policymakers need to
deal with such an important and complex responsibilityrsquo
To address these and others questions the JRC is considering establishing a permanent
online observatory and knowledge platform to monitor and transfer innovative practices
of social policy innovation This platform will focus on social services delivery mechanisms
and welfare governance models
To support this process further data collection and revision of the conceptual and
analytical framework underpinning the IESI research are needed This requires a broader
unit of analysis which can enrich the findings so far and gather and represent the main
features of what the EU Commission has labelled acutesocial policy innovationacute This will also
shape the future research that could become the backbone of a JRC Observatory on
Social Policy Innovation
70
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International Public Management Journal 41ndash25
Guilleacuten AM and Matsaganis M (2000) lsquoTesting the ldquoSocial Dumpingrdquo Hypothesis in
Southern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 10(2) 120ndash45
75
Guilleacuten AM Aacutelvarez S and P Adatildeo E Silva (2003) lsquoRedesigning the Spanish and
Portuguese Welfare States The Impact of Accession into the European Unionrsquo
South European Society and Politics 8(1ndash2) 231ndash68
Guthrie J (1998) Application of accrual accounting in the Australian public sector mdash
rhetoric or realityrsquo Financial Accountability and Management 141ndash 19
Haggard S and Kaufman R (2008) Development Democracy and Welfare States
Princeton Princeton University Press
Hardt A (2013) Wie Vereine von Ganztagsschulen profitieren in ldquoHamburger
Abendblattrdquo 4 October
Hartz Commission (2002) Modern Services on the Labour Market Report of the
Commission Berlin Federal Ministry for Employment and Economic Affairs
Haumlusermann S (2010) The politics of welfare state reform in continental Europe
modernisation in hard times Cambridge University Press
Hautamaki A (2010) Sustainable Innovation A Next Age of Innovation and Finland s
Innovation Policy Helsinki SITRA
Hay C (2004) lsquoCommon Trajectories Variable Paces Divergent Outcomes Models of
European Capitalism under Conditions of Complex Economic Interdependencersquo
Review of International Political Economy 11(2) 231ndash62
Hemerijck A (2013a) Changing Welfare States Oxford Oxford University Press
Hemerijck A (2013b) 21st Century European Social Investment Imperatives Paper
presented at ldquothe Social Justice Ireland Policy Conferencerdquo on 19 November
2013
Hemerijck A and Marx I (2010) Continental Welfare at a Crossroads The Choice
between Activation and Minimum Income Protection in Belgium and the
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welfare reform in continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
(pp 129-55)
Hemerijck A and Sleegers P (2007) lsquoThe Netherlands Social and Economic
Normalization in an Era of European Union Controversyrsquo in Kvist J and Saari J
(eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol Policy (pp 175ndash94)
Hemerijck A Draumlbing V Vis B Nelson M Soentken M (2013) European Welfare
States in Motion NEUJOBS Working Paper NO D52 March 2013
Henriksen LS and Bundesen P (2004) The moving frontier in Denmark Voluntary-
state relationships since 1850 in ldquoJournal of Social Policyrdquo Vol 33 no 4 pp
601ndash621
Hood C (1991) A public management for all seasons Public Administration 693ndash19
Hood C (1995) Emerging issues in public administration Public Administration
73165ndash83
Houwing H (2010) A Dutch Approach to Flexicurity Negotiated Change in the
Organization of Temporary Work Amsterdam University of Amsterdam
Hubert A et al (2010) Empowering people driving change Social innovation in the
European Union EC Brussels
Hubert A Carvalho DdG amp Goudin P (2014) Social Innovation a Decade of
Changes BEPA report prepared for the European Commisison
IE NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash Ireland
ILO (International Labour Organization) (1952) C102 ndash Convention (No 102) Social
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76
Immergut E Anderson K and Schulze I (eds) (2007) The Handbook of Pension
Politics in Western Europe Oxford Oxford University Press
Inglot T (2008) Welfare States in East Central Europe 1919ndash2004 Cambridge
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Irish Government (2006) National Report for Ireland on Strategies for Social Protection
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ISSA (2014) Social Security Programs Throughout the World Europe SSA Publication
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ISSA (2013) Europe Enhancing the sustainability of comprehensive social security
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Jensen C (2008) ldquoWorlds of welfare services and transfersrdquo Journal of European
Social Policy 18 151 pp 151-162
Jessoula M and Alti T (2010) ldquoItaly An Uncompleted Departure from Bismarckrdquo in B
Palier (ed) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare Reform in
Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Jessoula M and Vesan P (2011) lsquoItaly Limited Adaptation of an Atypical Systemrsquo in
Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National
Adaptations to Post-Industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford
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Kangas O (2007) lsquoFinland Labour Markets Against Politicsrsquo in Immergut E
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Kangas O Lundberg U and Ploug N (2006) lsquoThree Routes to a Pension Reform
Politics and Institutions in Reforming Pensions in Denmark Finland and
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Kautto M (2002) ldquoInvesting in services in West European welfare statesrdquo Journal of
European Social Policy 12 1 pp 53-65
KELLY G amp MUERS S (2002) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical framework for
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KELLY G MULGAN G amp MUERS S (2004) Creating Public Value ndash An analytical
frameworkfor public service reform London Cabinet Office Strategy Unit
(wwwstrategygovuk)
Keune M (2006) lsquoThe European Social Model and Enlargementrsquo in Jepsen M and
Serrano A(eds) Unwrapping the European Social Model Bristol Policy (pp
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King D (1995) Actively Seeking Work The Politics of Unemployment and Welfare
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Koumlhler P Thoreacuten K and Ulmestig R (2008) Activation Policies in Sweden
lsquoSomething Old Something New Something Borrowed and Something Bluersquo in
Eichhorst W KonleSeidl R and Kaufmann O (eds) Activating Labour Market
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Korthouwer GHP (2010) Party Politics as we Knew It Failure to Dominate
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Oisterwijk Uitgeverij BOXPress
KPMG International (2012) Leading practices in the human and social services sector
77
KPMG International (2013a) Future State 2030 The Global Megatrends shaping
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KPMG International (2013b) The Integration Imperative reshaping the delivery of
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KPMG International (2014) What works Creating new value with patients carers and
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KPMG International (2014) ldquoA new vision of value ndash Connecting corporate and societal
value creationrdquo
KPMG International (2014) Netherlands Buurtzorg empowered nurses focus on patient
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Kubicek K amp Hagen M (2001) One-stop-government in Europe An overview
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Kuhlman S and P Fedele (2010) ldquoNew public management in continental Europe
local government medernalization in Germany France and Italy from a
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Public Services in Europe Between State Local Government and Market
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Lapsley I (1999) Accounting and the New Public Management Instruments of
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Lapsley I (2001) Accounting organization and the statersquo Financial Accountability and
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Larsen CA and Andersen JG (2009) lsquoHow New Economic Ideas Changed the Danish
Welfare State The Case of Neoliberal Ideas and Highly Organized Social
Democratic Interestsrsquo Governance An International Journal of Policy
Administration and Institutions 22(2) pp 239ndash61
laville J-L (2007) L eacuteconomie solidaire Une perspective Internationale Paris
Hachette Litteacuteratures
Lubelcovaacute G (2012) ldquoSocial innovations in the context of modernisationrdquo Socioloacutegia-
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Maino F (2013) Tra nuovi bisogni e vincoli di bilancio protagonisti risorse
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secondo welfare in Italia 2013 Torino Centro Ricerca e Documentazione Ricerca
Luigi Einaudi pp 17-46
Marmot M Allen J Bell R Bloomer E amp Goldblatt P (2012) WHO European
review of social determinants of health and the health divide The
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McSweeney B (1994) Management by accounting in A Hopwood amp P Miller eds
Accounting as Social and Institutional Practice An Introduction Cambridge
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Misuraca G et al (2011) Interoperability Challenges for ICT-enabled Governance
Towards a pan-European Conceptual Framework J Theor Appl Electron
Commer Res ISSN 0718ndash1876 Electron Version 6 1 95ndash111
Misuraca G et al (2013) From Practice to Theory and back to Practice Reflexivity in
Measurement and Evaluation for Evidence-based Policy Making in the
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Misuraca G et al (2015) ICT-Enabled Social Innovation in support of the
Implementation of the Social Investment Package (IESI)
78
Misuraca G(2012) ldquoAssessing ICT-enabled innovation for governance and policy
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Switzerland EPFL Switzerland
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Digital Governance in the Public Sector challenging
the Policy-Makerrsquos innovation dilemma 8th International Conference on Theory
and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2014)
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2014) Is Open Data Enough E-Governance Challenges for
Open Government Int J Electron Gov Res 10 1 19ndash36
Misuraca G Viscusi G (2015) Shaping public sector innovation theory an
interpretative framework for ICT-enabled governance innovation Electron
Commer Res 1ndash20
Molina O (2011) ldquoPolicy Concertation Trade Unions and the Transformation of the
Spanish Welfare Staterdquo en Guilleacuten AM Leoacuten M (eds) The Spanish Welfare
State in European Context Ashgate Farnham pp77-96
Montero A van Duijn S Zonneveld N Minkman M Nies H (2016) Integrated
Social Services in Europe European Social Network Brighton
Moore MH Creating public value strategic management in government Harvard
University Press Cambridge Mass (1995)
Morel N (2007) lsquoFrom Subsidiarity to lsquoFree Choicersquo Child‐ and Elder‐care Policy
Reforms in France Belgium Germany and the Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy amp
Administration 41(6) 618ndash37
Morel N Palier B amp Palme J (2012) Towards a social investment welfare state
ideas policies and challenges Policy Press
Mulgan G (2007) Social Innovation What it is why it matters and how it can be
accelerated London Young Foundation
Mulgan G (2009) The art of Public Strategy Mobilizing Power and Knowledge for the
Common Good Oxford
Mu ller K (2002) lsquoBeyond Privatization Pension Reform in the Czech Republic and
SloveniarsquoJournal of European Social Policy 12(4) 293ndash306
Munday B (2003) European Social Services A Map of Characteristics Report prepared
for the Council of Europe
Murphy M (2007) lsquoThe Emerging Irish Workfare State and Its Implications for Local
Developmentrsquo in Taming the Tiger Social Exclusion in a Globalised Ireland
Dublin TASC A Think Tank for action on Social Change (pp 85ndash112)
Murphy M (2008) lsquoIdeas Interests and Institutions Explaining Irish Social Security
Policyrsquo Combat Poverty Agency Research Working Paper 0808
Murphy-Lawless J (2000) lsquoChanging Womenrsquos Lives Child Care Policy in Irelandrsquo
Feminist Economics 6(1) 89ndash94
Natali D Pavolini E (2014) Prowelfare Providing welfare through social dialogue A
new role for social partners Executive Summary Results of the comparative
analysis of Voluntary Occupational Welfare
ND NSR (2014) National Social Report 2015 ndash Netherlands
Nelson H (2008) ldquoPublic employment and multilevel governance in unitary and federal
systemsrdquo in H-U Derlien and BG Peters (eds) The State at Work (volume 2)
Comparative Public Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar 33-64
Nelson M (2012) lsquoMaking Markets with Active Labor Market Policies the Influence of
Political Parties Welfare State Regimes and Economic Change on Spending on
Different Types of Policiesrsquo European Political Science Review
79
Nesporova A (1999) Employment and Labour Market Policies in Transition Economies
GenevaILO
Nikolai (2012) Towards social investment Patterns of public policy in the OECD worldrdquo
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Noumllke A and Vliegenthart A (2009) lsquoEnlarging the Varieties of Capitalism The
Emergence of Dependent Market Economies in East Central Europersquo World
Politics 61 670ndash702
OECD (1997) Managing Across Levels of Government Part One Overview Paris
OECD (2005) Pensions at a Glance Public Policies across OECD Countries Paris OECD
OECD (2014) Society at a Glance 2014 OECD Social Indicators OECD Publishing
Olson O J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds (1998) Global Warning mdash Debating International
Developments in New Public Financial Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag
Bergen Norway
Orenstein M (1994) The Political Success of Neo-Liberalism in the Czech Republic
CERGE-EI Working Paper Series 68
Oslashsterud Oslashyvind and Per Selle (2006) Power and Democracy in Norway The
Transformation of Norwegian Politics In Scandinavian Political Studies 29 1 pp
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Palier B (ed) (2010) A Long Goodbye to Bismarck The Politics of Welfare State
Reform in Continental Europe Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Pallot J (1999) The New Zealand revolution in O Olson J Guthrie amp C Humphrey eds
Global Warning mdash Debating International Developments in New Public Financial
Management Cappelen Akademisk Forlag Bergen Norway 156ndash84
Pallot J (2000) Experimenting in the Antipodes Long Term Financial Planning in New
Zealand Local Government EIASM International Conference on Accounting
Auditing and Management in Public Sector Reforms Zaragoza Spain
Palme J (2005) Features of the Swedish Pension Reform The Japanese Journal of
Social Security Policy 4(1) 42ndash53
Peters B G (2008) ldquoRegional government and public employmentrdquo in H-U Derlien
and BG Peters BG (eds) The State at Work (volume 2) Comparative Public
Service Systems Cheltenham Edward Elgar pp 65-76
Phillis J A Deiglmeier K ndash Miller D T 2008 Rediscovering Social Innovation In
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Phills J A (2009) Rediscovery social innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review
Pisano U Lange L and Berger G (2015) Social Innovation in Europe an overview
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Managing Sustainability of Vianna University of Economy and Business
PL NSR (2014) National Social Report 2014 ndash Poland
PL SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Poland
Plantenga J Remery C and Takacs J (2012) lsquoPublic Support to Young Families in
the European Unionrsquo in Work Family Policies and Transitions to Adulthood in
Europe Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Pollitt C amp H Summa (1997) Trajectories of reform Public management change in four
countries Public Money amp Management Jan-March7ndash18
Pollitt C Bouckaert G (2000) Public Management Reform A Comparative Analysis
Oxford University Press Oxford
80
Pollitt Christopher (2003) The essential public manager Berkshire Open University
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Porter M E amp Kramer M R (2011) Creating shared value Harvard business
review 89(12) 62-77
Potucek M (2007) lsquoThe Czech Republic Tradition Compatible with Modernisation in
Kvist J and Saari J (eds) The Europeanisation of Social Protection Bristol
Policy Press (pp 137ndash52)
Rhodes M (2000) lsquoRestructuring the British Welfare State Between Domestic
Constraints and Global Imperativesrsquo in Scharpf FW and Schmidt VA (eds)
Welfare and Work in the Open Economy Oxford Oxford University Press (pp
19ndash68)
Russell H OrsquoConnell PJ and McGinnity F (2007) lsquoThe Impact of Flexible Working
Arrangements on Work-Life Conflict and Work Pressure in Irelandrsquo Economic and
Social Research Institute Working Paper
Sacchi S and Bastagli F (2005) lsquoItaly Striving Uphill but Stopping Halfwayrsquo in
Ferrera M (ed) Welfare State Reform In Southern Europe Fighting Poverty
and Social Exclusion In Italy Spain Portugal and Greece London Routledge
(pp 84ndash140)
Sapir A (2006) Globalization and the Reform of European Social Models JCMS
Journal of Common Market Studies Volume 44 Issue 2 pages 369ndash390 June
2006
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2007) lsquoRe-familisation of the Czech Family Policy and Its
Causesrsquo International Review of Sociology 17(2) 319ndash41
Saxonberg S Sirovaacutetka T (2009) lsquoNeo‐liberalism by Decay The Evolution of the
Czech Welfare Statersquo Social Policy amp Administration 43(2) 186ndash203
Schludi M (2005) The Reform of Biskmarckian Pension System Amsterdam
Amsterdam University Press
Schmidt VV (2002) lsquoDoes Discourse Matter in the Politics of Welfare State
Adjustmentlsquo Comparative Political Studies 35(2) 168ndash93
SE SSR (2015) Strategic Social Reporting 2015 ndash Sweden
Sirovaacutetka T Hora O (2011) lsquoThe Czech Republic -Activation Diversification and
Marginalisationrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D (eds) Regulating the Risk of
Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-industrial Labour Markets in
Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 255ndash77)
Sivesind KH (2014) The changing role of private and nonprofit welfare provision in
Norway Sweden and Denmark and consequences for the Scandinavian model
Paper for the 12th Annual ESPAnet Conference Oslo 4-6 September 2014
Sjoumlberg O (2011) lsquoSweden - Ambivalent Adjustmentrsquo in Clasen J and Clegg D
(eds) Regulating the Risk of Unemployment National Adaptations to Post-
industrial Labour Markets in Europe Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 208ndash
31)
Sotiropoulos D amp Bourikos D (2014) Economic Crisis Social Solidarity and the
Voluntary Sector in Greece Journal of Power Politics amp Governance Vol 2 No
2 pp 33-53
Spear R Defourny J Faverou L Laville JL (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in
Europe The Contribution of The Social Economy Aldershot Ashgate
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
81
Streeck W (2009) Reforming Capitalism Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy Oxford Oxford University Press
Szelewa D Polakowski MP (2008) lsquoWho Cares Changing Patterns of Childcare in
Central and Eastern Europersquo Journal of European Social Policy 18(2) 115ndash31
Taylor G (2005) Negotiated Governance and Public Policy in Ireland Manchester
Manchester University Press
Toharia L and Malo MA (2000) lsquoThe Spanish Experiment Pros and Cons of
Flexibility at the Marginrsquo in Esping-Andersen G and Regini M (eds) Why
Deregulate Labour Markets Oxford Oxford University Press (pp 307ndash36)
Torfing J (1999) lsquoWorkfare With Welfare Recent Reforms of the Danish Welfare
Statersquo Journal of European Social Policy 9(1) pp 5ndash28
Torres L (2004) Trajectories in public administration reforms in European Continental
countries Australian Journal of Public Administration Volume 63 Issue 3 pages
99ndash112 September 2004
Trampusch C (2009) Der erschoumlpfte Sozialstaat Transformation eines Politikfeldes
Frankfurt Campus
UK NSR (2015) National Social Report 2015 ndash United Kingdom
Valentova M (2012) lsquoEmployment Breaks due to Childcare in The Czech Republic
Before and After 1989rsquo Work Employment and Society 26(2) 266-81
Van Berkel R de Graaf W and Sirovaacutetka T (eds) (2011) The Governance of
Welfare States in Europe Houndmills Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan
Van Hooren F and Becker U (2012) lsquoOne Welfare State Two Care Regimes
Understanding Developments in Child and Elderly Care Policies in the
Netherlandsrsquo Social Policy and Administration 46 (1) 83-107
Van Oorschot W (2004) Balancing work and welfare activation and flexicurity policies
in The Netherlands 1980ndash2000 International Journal of Social Welfare Volume
13 Issue 1 pages 15ndash27 January 2004
Večerniacutek J (2008) Social Policy in the Czech ldquoRepublicrdquo The Past and the Future of
Reforms East European Politics amp Society 22(3) 496-517
Visser J (2002) lsquoThe First Part-time Economy in the World a Model to Be Followedrsquo
Journal of European Social Policy 12(1) 23ndash42
Visser J and Hemerijck A (1997) A Dutch Miracle Job Growth Welfare Reform and
Corporatism in the Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wall K (2009) lsquoPortugal and Spain Two Pathways in Southern Europersquo in Kamerman
SB and Moss P (eds) The Politics of Parental Leave Policies Children
Parenting Gender and the Labour Market Bristol The Policy Press (pp 207ndash26)
Weishaupt JT (2010) lsquoA Silent Revolution New Management Ideas and the
Reinvention of European Public Employment Servicesrsquo Socio-Economic Review
8(3) 461ndash86
Weishaupt JT (2011) From the Manpower Revolution to the Activation Paradigm
Explaining Institutional Continuity and Change in an Integrating Europe
Amsterdam Amsterdam University Press
Wolk A Kreitz K (2008) Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact A Social-
Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social problems Cambridge Root Cause
Wollman H and G Marcou (eds) (2010b) The Provision of Public Services in Europe
Between State Local Government and Market Cheltenham Edward Elgar
82
Young R (2008) Social Value and the Future of Social Entrepreneurship In Social
Entrepreneurship New Models of Sustainable Social Change Oxford Oxford
University Press 2008
Zeitlin J (2003) Introduction Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy
European and American Experiments in Zeitlin J and Trubek D (eds)
Governing Work and Welfare in a New Economy European and American
Experiments Oxford Oxford University Press
List of web sites and repositories investigated
Web sites related to social sciences like H-Net Academiaedu Social Science Space
Social Science Research Social Science Statistics Center for Philosophy of Natural
and Social Science
Repository libraries related to social sciences like Social Science Open Access
Repository Economic and Social Research Council Social Sciences Health and
Education Library European Social Innovation Research
Universities related to social sciences like
TU-Dortmund (httpwwwwisotu-dortmunddewisodefakultaet) University of
Helsinki (httpstuhathalvihelsinkifiportalenpublicationssearchhtml)
University of Glasgow (httpeprintsglaacuk ) European University Institute
(httpcadmuseuieu ) Humboldt Universitaumlt Berlin (httpwww2hu-
berlindeforschungfdb )
Member States websites related to the Social Protection Systems
World Health Organization web site
London school of economics web site
DG EMPL website
EU Bookshop
Website of Institutions that promote awards to worthy initiatives (ie European Public
Sector Award - EPSA)
Professional human resources web sites like wwwhrcom in which it is possible to find
information focusing on major employment issues
Database of the European Association Working for Carers httpeurocarersorg
(httpeurocarersorgcarictindex2phptask=projectsamporder=nameampdir=ASCampd
b=2ampkeyword=independent+living )
The web and the blog spheres by searching for basic expressions related to the topic of
interest in traditional search engines (Google Bing etc) and investigating
targeted information gathering portals
Other sources of information related to the topics of analysis such as
KPMG Professional Network and the Centre of Excellence
Interaction with the Advisory Group
The Annual Growth Survey 2015 edited by the European Community
The Jointly Employment Report 2015 edited by the European Community
83
List of abbreviations and definitions
JRC Joint Research Centre
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
ICT Information and Communication Technology
PSSGI Personal Social Services of General Interest
SIP Social Investment Package
SI Social Innovation
DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion
IESI ICT enabled Social Innovation in support to the Implementation of the
Social Investment Package
EU European Union
SPC Social Protection Commitee
SPPM Social Protection Performance Monitor
GDP Gross Domestic Product
COM
PSS Personal Social Services
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CVD Cardiovascular Disease
HF Heart Failure
BEPA
EPSA European Public Sector Award
ERDF European Regional Development Fund
ESF European Social Fund
84
List of tables
Table 1 Implementation of policy reforms in European welfare systems 17
Table 2 Dimensions of one-stop shops 26
Table 3 Complementarities between Social Investment and Social Policy Innovation 32
Table 4 Selected Case Studies 33
Table 5 Social services addressed35
Table 6 Cross-case analysis evidence of impact on integration 52
Table 7 Contribution of the cases to the SIP objectives 55
Table 8 Initiatives in social security and employment 57
Table 9 Initiatives in social inclusion and participation 59
Table 10 Initiatives in active and healthy ageing 60
85
List of figures
Figure 1 Research Design 9
Figure 2 Multi-criteria methodology 13
Figure 3 Components of the IESI analytical framework 13
Figure 4 Analytical framework 14
Figure 5 The integration continuum 22
Figure 6 Key Enablers of Service Innovation 23
Figure 7 Waves of ICT adoption by governments 27
Figure 8 Geographical distribution 34
Figure 9 Distribution of cases across all Social Services 36
Figure 10 Distribution of the initiatives in the IESI Knowledge Map 36
86
Annex ndash Summary of Case Studies
A BOOK FOR A
ROOF (ABFR)
ZAGREB CITY LIBRARIES
Country Croatia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 400
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-oriented production
Sustainedorganisational innovation
Open process of co-
creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is seen as a new threat in most Croatian cities as it was largely ignored by policy makers until the Social Welfare Act in 2012 Since then several stakeholders ndash public and local government authorities trade unions employers and civil society organizationsrsquo representatives ndash have been involved in the drafting of the Strategy for Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion in Croatia (2014-2020) One of the objectives in this strategy was to elaborate guidance on the necessary actions to improve care services for homeless The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has carried out a new plan - Consolidated Plan for the Care of the Homeless Persons during Extreme Winter Weather Conditionsrsquo - to implement specific actions that will allow a better provision of social services for
homeless The plan was the result of a multi-governance
87
collaboration between the national level large towns
municipalities homes for the elderly and the infirm and homes for mentally ill adults Its aim was to secure better data from the local authorities in order to plan effectively the availability of an adequate number of temporary structures as well as other services to help homeless people during the coldest months of the year
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Zagreb City Libraries (ZCL) a network of public libraries that serves Zagreb and Zagreb County works with homeless people to increase their employability and build their self-image and confidence13
Aim of the initiative The overall aim of A Book for A Roof was to help the network of ZCL to develop a set of activities that through the medium of ICTs could provide employability and build positive self-imagine and confidence into the homeless living in the city Supporting homeless people to become more engaged and
proactive in the labour market
Overcoming the prejudices and preconceptions about the homeless in libraries Improving the life chances of homeless individuals Building the self-image of one of the cityrsquos most complex socially excluded groups Aiding homeless individuals to secure a future throughout
investing on strong partnership
Financial Model After the initial first year grant in 2011 provided by the Electronic Information for Libraries the project survived thanks to the help of different partners such as other homeless shelters within the city the Voluntary Centers local authorities and stakeholders involved into the project after the positive achievements realized
during the first years of activity One of these stakeholders was the Zagreb City Council that in 2012 granted 10000 Kunas (euro1300) to help evolving and expanding the main goals of this
initiative
Results Creation of a new network of public private and non-profit actors which for the first time actively helped each other to produce
social inclusion for homeless bull Raised awareness on the homelessness issue through
conferences workshops and media coverage bull 22 homeless among the 63 who used ICT trainings during
20112012 found a job bull The library trained 17 volunteers to provide ICT and job-seeking
training to the homeless
Role of ICTs The A Book for a Roof initiative depends mainly on the use of ICT to accomplish its main goals The role of ICTs in promoting social innovation is based on the empowering effect that enabling technologies have for the homelessICT courses include using the Internet to seek for
employment applying for jobs online and enhance homeless
individuals likelihood to (re)-engage with the job market This is coupled with job application training motivation and counseling and takes place in the library where homeless citizens feel more comfortable and safe
Lessons learned bull The initiative can be deemed sustainable because of its limited
costs however as it relies on donations constant disseminationinformation activity is necessary to keep high social awareness around the issue of homelessness
bull The need for resources and financial contributions from other library networks or municipalities can be a barrier to scaling up
bull Other parts of Croatia have started offering similar services
Key Informants Sanja Bunic Project Manager Zagreb City Libraries
Danijel Vuga House of Hope Shelter
88
CROSSROAD
BANK FOR
SOCIAL
SECURITY
(CBSS)
Country Belgium
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group socially insured personscompanies
Target people reached 11000000
Main PSSGI Social care social assistance
Started in 2002
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential
Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of service integration
Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background More than two decades ago the Belgian administration carried out an in depth analysis on the functioning of social security delivery processes showing that bull The organization of the business processes of the social security
institutions presented a lack of customer orientation and was not at all harmonized across the different social security institutions
bull There was a lack of standardization in the paper forms used by each institution for collecting information from the customers
bull There was no exchange of information across institutions with
the consequence of a duplication of information bull The socially insured persons and their employers had
themselves to look for their rights throughout the social security system and could not count on the automatic granting of all
89
rights on the basis of one declaration
To address the issues 13 years ago the Belgian social security institute started developing a coordinated information management program generating Crossroad Bank for Social Security This allowed the creation of a permanent and inter-operable social security network among all 3000 social security institutions in Belgium
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Electronic data exchange between citizens and social security institutions
Aim of the initiative The overall objective of Crossroad Bank for Social Security is to provide socially insured persons and companies with effective efficient and user-focused services which have a minimum level of administrative burden for citizens companies and civil servants
bull The key objective of the back office was to re-organize all
processes and relationships with each social security institutions and between all 3000 social security institutions
bull With regard to the front office it was re-organized in order to deliver integrated electronic services to the target groups (socially insured persons companies intermediaries etc) in a personalized way via an access method (eg application to
application file transfer portal) chosen by the user
Financial Model The annual cost of CBSS (its network and services as well as its 90 employees) equals to 17 million euro The cost is financed by a withholding on the social security contribution paid by the employers the employee and the self-employed before the
distribution of these contributions to the social security sectors There is no direct charge for the actors in the social security sector
Results bull Significant reduction of administrative burden for workers
thanks to CBSS only 2 (out of 120) declarations have to be
done directly by the individual
bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for CBSS in relation to total cost of delivery
bull Still more important than the efficiency gains are probably the gains in terms of service effectiveness
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the Social Protection system in terms of quality of services as well as the overall systems sustainability
Role of ICTs CBSS is conceived as a brand new ICT architecture with 5 main distinctive characteristics bull Information modelling bull Unique collection and re-use of information bull Management of information
bull Electronic exchange of information bull Protection of information
Lessons learned bull CBSS has already existed for already 25 years which is itself
evidence of sustainability bull CBSS fostered the development of a coherent legal framework bull CBSS has been asked to reuse the same model in the health
sector for pharmacies practitioners hospital care etc This same model was copied applied in other countries as well especially after receiving the many awards given to CBSS such as the UN award in 2006 For example Argentina copied the model
bull Key success factor is the sufficient financial support made
available for the implementation of CBSS
Key Informants Frank Robben General manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security National Office for Social Security Belgium
90
EESTIEE
ESTONIA STATE PORTAL
Country Estonia
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General population
Target people reached 401316 users
Main PSSGI Civic engagement
Started in 2003
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 Estonia - one of the smallest nations in Europe - was left with
little public infrastructure and virtually no commercial activity It needed to build high-functioning government services for its
residents and the fledgling private sector To address this need Estoniarsquos government invested proactively in technology to bring government services and citizens online In 2003 the Estonian government launched the first version of its e-government portal (wwweestiee) which offered secure online access to a limited number of government services Since then the Estonian State Portal has developed and expanded significantly and today
Estoniarsquos 13 million residents can use electronic ID cards to log in to the eestiee portal to vote pay taxes claim unemployment benefits register properties and access more than 815 other public and private e-services The portal is a gateway to public information and services it is user-friendly and secure
91
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Agenda 2020 for EstoniaOnline centralized public service
information system to communicate with citizens
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the state portal is to provide entrepreneurs with entry-level information on their obligations to the state and how they must fulfill them as well as access to public services to the general public through a single window The platform also allows the use of various registry services (commercial register registry of economic activities traffic register etc) The portal is constantly updated and improved with the addition of
new sections or services Ongoing initiatives are related to several aspects of citizens and people lives such as bull the concept of e-residency (also for foreigners wishing to use
Estonian e-services) bull the possibility of establishing a company within an hour
bull making bank transfers within seconds bull participating actively in the management of a company
registered in Estonia bull submitting tax return requests
Financial Model EU structural funds
Results bull The number of users of the platform has grown in the last years bull Currently entrepreneurs and citizens of other 11 foreign
countries can also be authenticated and use Estonian e-services bull The platform contributes extensively to the usability and ease of
use of e-services and thereby it helps to bring the government closer to people Furthermore it helps create awareness of the
availability of e-services as visitors discover new options while browsing it
bull The initiative resulted in a more direct support of inclusive labour markets self-employment and job market
Intermediaries better targeting benefits and services and cost-effective social services meeting the needs of citizens
bull Estoniarsquos experience is also increasing transparency and addressing corruption mismanagement conflicts of interest or ethical issues thanks to the amount of information freely available
Role of ICTs The role of ICT is fundamental the system developed by the government in 2003 called X-Road has been designed to be able
to incorporate innovative applications which has made it possible to constantly update it and enrich it with new tools The system consists of a secure data-access platform connecting existing databases (both public and private) irrespective of their format all the data remain separate and a list of FAQ is in fact the only data X-Road itself maintains
Lessons learned bull The sustainability of the initiative is associated not only to the
will of policymakers but also connected to an increased user
satisfaction bull A number of national governmentsmdashincluding those of Belgium
Germany Italy and the Netherlands as well as a handful of Middle Eastern countriesmdashhave launched or are planning to
launch e-ID card programs
Key Informants Taimar Peterkop - General Director of the Estonian Informatics Centre
92
STRATEGY FOR
DIGITAL
WELFARE
(SDW)
Country Denmark
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group General population older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social care
Started in 2013
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Danish welfare system is based on a strong social citizenship and a guarantee for social rights in case citizens encounter social
problems such as unemployment or sickness As in other Scandinavian countries social innovation in Denmark
is more about supplementing (or improving) existing public sector-led initiatives rather than substituting them In this respect the public sector is pivotal to determine the success or failure of social innovation and for this reason since 2008 the Danish government recognized the use of ICTs as an opportunity to reform its welfare system thus giving more emphasis to the digital delivery of welfare services
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digital Solutions for health education and social services ensuring effective provision of public sector services
93
Aim of the initiative The aim of the strategy is to accelerate the use of ICT and welfare
technology in frontline public service delivery in order to achieve both a more cohesive welfare system and greater integration across public administrations It consists of a series of initiatives such as bull The dissemination of telemedicine throughout Denmark which
aims to provide citizens with high quality and coherent patient
care bull The welfare technology in nursing and care which aims to
embed digital technologies in the rehabilitation pathway bull The new digital paths in case processing whose aim is to
improve the use of the municipal electronic health records across various sectors of the health care system as well as
across municipal services areas bull The preconditions for digital welfare which aims at
guaranteeing better clarity and flexibility in the tendering process
Financial Model Central financial model for the core costs but not for the local implementation costs The granting of economic support was
conditional on providing a solid and thorough project assessment of the results and efficiency gains for the participating institutions Some funding has come from the Danish Public Welfare Technology Foundation
Results bull New possibilities for citizens to get more actively involved in the
welfare services provision bull Empowerment of many elderly people to live more
autonomously and with greater quality bull Significant efficiency gains are recognized for the overall welfare
system in relation to total cost of delivery For instance approximately 59 million euro for the municipal home care service of 375 million euro over a 5 year period for digital
rehabilitation bull The use of a unique eID even when mobile devices are used
together with a digital data sharing system will help in reducing control time and its inaccuracyfallacies
bull Contribution to the modernisation of the health care system promoting an approach innovation-oriented
Role of ICTs Through the use of ICTs the Danish healthcare system aims at increasing home care and thus reducing hospital care Telemedicine is also expected to help prevent acute deterioration in the condition of patients and reduce the number of admissions ICTs solutions such as MedCom messages ensure effective and rapid coordination when sharing information such as discharge
letters prescriptions and referrals
Lessons learned bull A well-functioning broadband and an adequate access to it
should be considered as a precondition for deploying digital welfare solutions
bull Since SDW helps the welfare system with better budgeting administrative processes and reduction of financial costs it
ensures a greater sustainability of the system bull Out of the 25 initiatives 7 are planning to become developed at
a national level bull However SDW hasnrsquot had the spillover yet between the different
initiatives
Key Informants Susanne Duus ndash Team leader of the Agency for Digitalization of the Ministry of Finance
94
DIGITALIZATI
ON OF
SERVICES IN
INPS
Country Italy
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group General populationolder people
Target people reached 16 Million
Main PSSGI Social inclusionparticipation
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background INPS is the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy and one of the most important in Europe with a significant cash flow
(about 800 billionyear) and one of the largest portfolio of employment and welfare services delivery
Since 2012 an important integration process with respect to pension schemes and social security has been undertaken and its result is that all the major Italian social security institutions are currently merged into INPS following a ldquoclient pathwayrdquo approach Through the 752010 (Extension and expansion of telematics services offered by INPS to the citizens) and the 1692010 (Full
digitalisation of the submission process of benefits requests) internal notes INPS started a gradual and complex process of digitalization based on a multi-channel system for delivering services by using IT exclusively
95
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Digitalization and automation of the relationship between the
Public Administration and citizens in reducing digital divide and improving the accessibility of services
Aim of the initiative Thus the expected results of the initiative Digitalization of services in INPS were bull Improved efficiency of the internal production processes through
the automation of some phases of the investigation leading to a great savings of resources
bull Improved quality of work of staff currently engaged in data-entry activities
bull Reduced time needed to submit applications with benefits for both citizens and the Institute
bull Increased service quality through the improvement of the data quality due to the digitalization of the information (thanks to quality and formal controls of the information directly when inserted)
bull Decreased costs of services arising from the potential savings on paper communication towards citizens
Financial Model Public service funding Government Regional Local Authorities non-profit public entities etc
Results The digitalisation and automation of the service delivery model
brought about a great innovation of the overall Italian social security systems and facilitated the access to INPS services for every citizen bull Modernisation of the Social protection system allowed not only
efficiency gains but also new and more effective monitoring processes
bull Massive increase in usage of the online services Increase in of
user awareness on the services offered and certainty of their expected benefits and acquired rights
bull More standardize service model with respect to quality level thus addressing regional (NorthSouth) inequality of service
Lessons learned bull The next 3 years will see the implementation of a
comprehensive framework of measures to upgrade the services offered by the Institute
bull The deployment of ICTs in the INPS reform has been considered by many stakeholders a great success and a best practice to be scaled up and replicated Indeed
bull INPS is the leader of an international consortium EU-China social protection reform project and will assist the Chinese
government in modernising its social security system
Role of ICTs Reengineering of the service delivery method possible by the use of ICTs which allowed access to servicesproducts without mediation by local offices ICTs played a crucial role for the success of the initiative since
multi-channel digitization dematerialization and offshoring were achievable only through ICT innovation Today all types of INPS services are available online and payable
through multi-channels
Key Informants Antonio De Luca Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Ettore Fusco Deputy Central Director of the Research and Study Central Directorate of INPS
Patrizia Maria Ester DAndrea and Francesca Arbitrio team leaders within the Planning and Control Central Directorate of INPS
96
EXPRESS TRAIN
TO EMPLOYMENT
(EXTE)
Welfare to Work
programme
Country Poland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Unemployed
Target people reached 1000
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Welfare to Work (W2W) programme was introduced in Poland as a follow-up to the recent Labour Act reform to deal with a
stagnating labour force participation and a fairly high government deficit (33 in 2014 up from the 28 target of 2015)
The Polish Government was under pressure to introduce innovative welfare provisions which could combine a social system approach traditionally more open to public-private partnership and an innovative use of information management for servicesrsquo organization which could maximize efficiency of the system The W2W programme together with innovative data modelling constitutes the bulk of the Express Train to
Employment (ExTE) pilot project which aimed to improve the engagement and activation of long-term unemployed people in the region of Malopolska Conditional to its success the initiative was then to be scaled up and extended to other regions first and the rest of the country later
97
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Labour Act Reform addressing the problem of long-term
unemployment in the Krakow Region
Aim of the initiative The main objective of the ExTE project was to enhance the mechanisms to help reducing the levels of unemployment rates Under this overarching goal the specific objectives were bull Achieving sustainable employment for at least 35 of the
participants bull Raising the employability of participants in the project bull Disseminating information about services offered to those
unemployed bull Establishing partnerships following the British model (W2W) in
order to identify and develop synergies and effective solutions that could then be scaled-up nationally
Results-based financing was one of the main mechanisms used to compensate operators and stakeholders involved in addition
ExTE saw the inclusion of non-public agents that could offer a variety of knowledge and additional resources
Financial Model The initiative driven by a public- private partnership is implemented with the support of the European Social Fund The service model that was used in this initiative is based on the exploitation of the ability of the private sector to find jobs for the
long-term unemployed
Results The pilot program in the region of Krakow reached significant results both in terms of securing employment for participants and uncovering jobs that had not been publicly advertised bull About 66 of registered users found a job within the first 6
month of participation compared to only 20 of individuals in the control group
bull More than half of the participants (52) had at least one job offer vs only 30 workers in the control group
bull The project was more successful in matching individualsrsquo skills
and competences with jobs bull Updated model of outsourcing employment services through
non-public providers bull A framework of legislative recommendations was produced as
results of the model proposed within the initiative with the aim to be included in the Labour Act
bull The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy introduced a series of amendments in the regulations of the labour market including a new system of profiling the unemployed
Role of ICTs ICTs supported and facilitated existing processes contributing to improve the organisational mechanisms of employment service provisions through bull The creation of a new data model to facilitate matching between
demand and supply of workforce
bull The creation of databases enabling a coordinated planning of activities
Lessons learned bull The government is planning to replicate the initiative in other
regions of the country bull The transferability of the model is demonstrated by the fact that
the W2W initiatives are already implemented in Britain Australia
and the Netherlands bull More needs to be done to ensure that participants stay in
employment for longer for instance by providing additional training and education
Key Informants AMartynuska Director Regional Labour Office in Krakow
98
LITTLE BIRD Country Germany
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public-private partnership
Type of initiative Service
Target group Children mothers families
Target people reached 5000 kindergartens
Main PSSGI Childcare
Started in 2009
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Similarly to many EU countries Germany incremented its focus on family-friendly policies to promote gender equality and increase
female participation in the labour market by fostering family friendly policies such as extended maternity and paternity leave
Despite recent progress however Germany still lags behind countries such as France Denmark or Sweden which offer a vast range of childcare initiatives and spend a higher proportion of family benefits on services Indeed childcare provision in Germany is still hindered by three main issues gender inequality in the number of hours of care provided high cost of childcare services and shortage of qualified childcare staff
The Little Bird initiative commissioned by the government and implemented by private partners was born to address the management of available resources regarding childcare services It allows the effective and efficient administration of childcare places for parents providers and public administrations
99
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Child care service delivery- providing parents with support in the
kindergarten selection and location process
Aim of the initiative The main objective of Little Bird was to facilitate equal access to infant education to all children through an interactive process that maps out the entire range of administration functions for the allocation of childcare services Its aim was to provide a safe and convenient solution in the region in which it would operate across the boundaries of municipalities in the search allocation and administration of
childcare services In terms of social innovation Little Bird aims to meet the needs of families government public and private providers by monitoring and allocating in a transparent way the kindergarten places of children In terms of ICT innovation Little Bird is a sustained and organizational ICT- enabled social innovation which improves
organizational and administrative processes of the kindergartenrsquos place allocation Providers can plan and monitor their resources on demand families get an overview of all childcare services (privately and publicly owned) and the available vacancies for child care services
Financial Model Public-Private Partnership co-financed by the Investitionbank
Berlin as well as by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Results The platform provides comprehensive information about
institutions childcare facilities and vacancies and provides the necessary transparency to all parts involved It delivered benefits both for the parents and for the municipalities through bull Optimization of the internal administrative processes bull Highly customized childcare services meeting citizens
requirements
bull Reduced response time to the users between application and final outcome
bull Increased cost-effectiveness bull More productive administrative staff bull Better quality of childcare services provided
Role of ICTs Little Bird is Germanyrsquos first eGovernment solution with an interactive process mapping out the entire range of administration functions for allocation of childcare services Through the use of a web application Little Bird centralizes the challenging and tedious process of searching and applying for available local childcare and decentralizes the childcare allocation process throughout
bull ICTs help optimizing the search registration and allocation process while at the same time generating more transparency and better services
Lessons learned bull Little Bird is an innovative example of a public service opening
up to the private sector primarily through the use of a web application
bull Since the solution is only a software product its model can be easily replicated in other contexts All components in the installation are highly modular therefore highly customizable to any local requirement
bull As far as scalability is concerned Little Bird is currently implemented in 60 German municipalities and will be integrated
in other 25 administrations
Key Informants Bernd Klosterkemper Investment Director Ananda Ventures
100
PUBLIC
EMPLOYMENT
SERVICE - PES
Country Netherlands
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed (mainly with disabilities)
Target people reached 285 million visitors in 2013
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The Dutch Public Employment Service is part of the UWV
(Employee Insurance Agency) and has as a main objective helping
people to find jobs and re-integrate in society through matching supply of work and demand of labour The modernization of the Public Employment Service (PES) in the Netherlands involved the introduction and the optimization of an online environment
(Intranet) which can be used by all employees and managers of UWV WERKbedrijf without any password requirements This management tool is the ldquoMijn Informatie Portaalrsquo
PES recognizes the pivotal need to optimize performance in the area of employment reintegration temporary income and data management and participation of people in work and society
Policy program
supporting the
Employee Insurance Implementation Institution is the public
institution that implements unemployment insurance benefits sickness benefits employment services to the insured people
101
initiative
Aim of the initiative PESrsquo objectives are set in accordance with the government along
with annual agreements and in cooperation with labour market partners like municipalities employers and temporary employment agencies
The core aim is to facilitate the match between supply and demand in the labour market and to support as high a number of citizens as possible to find employment and reintegrate with society The new 2010 Dutch Government established that the new policy on public employment services was going to
bull Empower citizens and employers in the labour market
bull Reduce face to face interaction to 10 of the clients bull Reform the PES so that 90 of the services will be delivered
using digital means and interaction
Financial Model Publicly funded
Results Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online
interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is steadily increasing
The modernisation process has resulted in increased efficiency and accountability at all levels of the PES and in improved outcomes for jobseekers
bull PES exceeded the target for 2013 in terms of the percentage (90) of people claiming benefits through the online platform reaching 95 of the those who use wwwwerknl for unemployment benefits
bull One of the key points of the modernization brought by PES is the accelerated development of the online werknl service for
job seekers
Role of ICTs The initiative contributed significantly to increasing the efficiency
and reliability of data flows
Data are available on national regional sub-regional (lsquoofficersquo) and
individual employee level Every week new data are added Most data are cumulative The technique being used is lsquoOnline Analytical Processingrsquo (OLAP) This technique makes it possible to generate and construct user defined tables with a web-based tool
bull Thanks to the support of ITC tools and the electronic submission and centralization of data the PESrsquo initiative also played a key role in uncovering 65500 violations of the workforce obligations and upon 97400 cases
Lessons learned bull The automation of the process and the higher digitization of
services have made the delivery system financially and socially sustainable
bull Customer satisfaction surveys bulletin boards (an online interactive customer panel) and research into usability prove that the appreciation of the online employment services is
steadily increasing bull Despite the rise of unemployment and the transition to online
services PES was able to stay within their own budget being their regular operating costs 85 lower than what was budgeted for 2013
Key Informants Ronald Van Bekkum UWV Dutch PES
102
POcircLE EMPLOI
100 WEB
Country France
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale National
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Unemployed people
Target people reached 63 million subscribers
Main PSSGI Employment
Started in 2012
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background According to the National Reform Program (2014) the national 2020 Target for the Reduction of Poverty and Social Exclusion is
to ldquoreduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 1900000 (baseline year 2007)rdquo
However the economic downturn has prevented the achievement of this target due to rising unemployment rates (up to 102 in 2016 well above its 2008 value of 74) The French Public Employment Service Pocircle Emploi launched a 100 Web initiative to provide free e-support services to jobseekers across France to boost employability and employment The initiative addresses policy goals in the fields of modernizing
social protection systems and implementing active inclusion strategies The 100 Web initiative is part of the ldquoguidedrdquo tutoring provided by Pocircle Emploi in order to better meet the needs of jobseekers personalized employment support services The
103
tutoring is based on the regular support in the job search by
physical telephone conversations or e-mail for those who need regular support The 100 Web services was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Pocircle emploi Strategic Plan 2020 ldquoEnsemble Innovons pour lrsquoEmploirdquo
Aim of the initiative In 2013 Pocircle emploi launched a targeted 100 Web initiative to provide free e-services for jobseekers considered to be quite close to the labour market but in need of support in France 100 Web is embedded in a long-term public strategy of Pocircle Emploi revolving around four areas bull Reinforcing counseling services in order to improve access to job
vacancies
bull Engaging with employers through advisors who inform them
about the services provided by the public sector and external private providers
bull Improving the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers by enhancing physical facilities transparency in processes digital access and access in rural areas
bull Making Pocircle Emploi closer to local needs and realities working
with the State regions and social sector partners
Financial Model The initiative 100 Web is funded by internal resources of Pocircle emploi Pocircle Emploirsquos annual budget funding for interventions and operation and investments were provided by a government contribution of UNEDIC where appropriate grants from local
authorities public bodies and any other income were authorized by regulations
Results bull The service has improved beneficiariesrsquo digital skills and
increased employment opportunities helping to fight digital exclusion reducing social isolation and supporting social
interaction
bull Positive effect on youth inclusion and in the inclusion of traditionally marginalized populations (in particular those living in rural remote or isolated areas) where the initiative aims at improving the access and the quality of services provided to both job seekers and employers
Role of ICTs bull Pocircle Emplois web solution is a disruptive transformative
innovation using ICT in the form of an integrated web-based to deliver education training job searching networking and support services for jobseekers and employers in France
bull The ICTs tools contribute to an open process of co-creation of employment and employability e-services based on the interaction between jobseekers and counselors thus enabling
the effective collaboration with the potential employees employers businesses in order to jointly develop implement and adopt employment and employability e-services
Lessons learned bull The 100 Web service was offered in 35 branches in 24 regions
before its gradual implementation throughout the country in March 2015 The future goal is to develop the initiative in a
more comprehensive trying to broaden the audience to which it is addressed
bull The transferability of the initiative is guaranteed by the fact that the digitization strategy of the measures proposed is not associated to French specificities
Key Informants Anne-Leone Campanella and Jean-Philippe Spector Pocircle emploi
104
BADALONA
SERVEIS
ASSISTENCIALS
ndash BSA
Country Spain
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people people with disabilities
Target people reached 2015000 people
Main PSSGI Integrated health- and social care
Started in 2000
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background The ageing population and the sustainability of the Catalonian National Public Health System linked to the Social Service System
are some of the factors that motivated the BSA initiative In 2000 the local government of Badalona in Catalonia decided to
merge health and social care provisions into a single organization to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision This at the time unprecedented endeavour of fully integrating under a single governance structure and into a single organization the provision of health and social care ndash from administrative service delivery and clinical perspective ndash faced very serious challenges but gradually the Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)
accomplished that Today it is operational on the full scale and funded entirely by public money it has about 1200 employees who provide integrated health and social care and manages home care for the inhabitants of the City of Badalona roughly 215 thousand people
105
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Integration of social and healthcare policy
Aim of the initiative The main aim of the initiative was to improving efficiency and quality of care provision while at the same time better addressing unmet needs and overall ensuring continuity of care by eliminating overlapping and duplication in services The integration of health and social care would also bull Be organised around the person and provided by a team of
multi-disciplinary professionals
bull Generate a better coordinated more efficient and simplified governance at the City council
Financial Model BSA is an integrated private care organisation entirely funded by public capital Public Insurance pays for health services while the municipality budget covers social care
Results The initiative contributed to the following improvements
bull better coordination between the different levels of care bull better communication and information flows among BSA
providers and other third parties providers in and around Badalona
bull improvements in the organisational and decision making
processes bull a portfolio of innovative services including telemonitoring and
telecare services bull a higher level of quality of care with greater control and better
results for the population bull more efficient care delivery and the modernisation and
improvement of services bull early discharge from hospitals reduced workload for the staff
reduced care costs for the city council
Role of ICTs Operationally the ICT-solutions made it possible to bull merge the organisations
bull harmonise processes needs assessment protocols and care
provision bull interlink the databases and bull plan track and evaluate the operations of the new entity
providing integrated care bull Nevertheless planning creating launching and operating the
harmonised approach were a gradual process
Lessons learned bull The sustainability and scalability of the initiative can be better
ensured by the structured involvement of third sector providers such as volunteer organisations NGOs patient associations etc Such stakeholders can help in filling the gap arising from the lack of public investments and play a crucial role in providing the right cultural environment
bull The initiative is likely to be scalable and transferable since it has been designed taking this dimension into consideration from the very beginning However they may be funding issues In
addition there are some legacy systems that are unique there but overall others can learn from their experiences
bull In order to pursue feasible and reliable innovation patters it is crucial to identify appropriate partners to cooperate with For
instance European funded projects are a great environment to meet relevant and committed partners
Key Informants Jordi Piera - CIO and RampDampI Officer at BSA
106
ACTION
(ASSISTING
CARERS USING
TELEMATICS
INTERVENTIONS TO
MEET OLDER
PEOPLErsquoS NEEDS)
Country Sweden
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Local
Enabler Public Private
Type of initiative Service
Target group Older people
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 1997
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework Typologies of ICT-enabled
innovation potential Elements of social
innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Swedish welfare for older people involves three levels of government
bull National level policy priorities and directives are discussed and passed
bull Regional level county councils are responsible for providing healthcare
bull Local level municipalities are responsible for providing the bulk of social services and housing needs for older people
Care for the elderly is characterized by the key role played by local authorities which decide on how best to organize the provision Private care services accounted for 24 of all elderly
people getting home help in 2013 however privatization of the health care services in Swedish municipalities has steadily increased In Sweden community care policy is based on the principle of ldquoageing in placerdquo which assumes that the majority of older people
107
would prefer to remain in their own homes ICT services can help
to improve the flexibility of caregiver support as well as the quality of life of older family carers by easing their burden helping them to stay healthier and improving the quality of the care they provide
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
ACTION is a knowledge based initiative supporting elderly people and carers and social Inclusion
Aim of the initiative ACTION was an EU-funded research and development technology project that aimed to help informal carers to meet older peoplersquos needs by using Telematics (ACTION) (1997ndash2000) The overall objective of ACTION is to act as a support system It has four main integrated components bull Multi-media educational programmes based on the needs of
carers and older people
bull ACTION station A personal computer with Internet connection
used to make oral and visual contact with the families of other participants and care practitioners
bull ACTION call centre It is used to maintain regular contact with families to ensure that care for the older person is satisfactorily managed
bull Education and supervision Families take part in an initial
education programme which teaches them how to use the ICT-based service The call centre staff runs small group education sessions which enable participants to get acquainted with each other and subsequently initiate videophone contact
Financial Model This service was initially funded through the Fourth Framework
Programme (1997-2000) and was coordinated by the University of Borarings Since 2000 research development and evaluation have been funded by different grants and the municipalities finance the service by buying it from ACTION
Results The benefits of the initiative have been demonstrated by a
number of studies
bull Both the older people and their family carers said their everyday quality of life was enhanced They became less isolated and more socially included
bull Informal carers were also more independent in their tasks and responsibility they felt more competent and they reported better health and lower stress levels
bull The service had the effect of decreasing healthcare costs while
maintaining a high standard of service and boosting the sustainability of the health and social care systems Cost savings estimated at euro23256 per family
Role of ICTs bull ACTIONrsquos capacity of effectively using ICT-enabled social
innovation has produced significant changes in the carersrsquo lives
by helping to reduce their work-load and their responsibilities for the older person
bull It has increased the monitoring and counselling provided to the
family carers by professional carers bull It has also increased self-management and empowered the
users through specifically designed online courses and by sharing information on caring best practices in real time These
services are readily accessible by family carers from home
Lessons learned bull In 2004 ACTION became a mainstream service in the Borarings
municipality in 2012 25 other municipalities tested the system but did not implement it because they lacked resources
bull The ACTION project has a high level of standardization and can
be easily implemented by other Member States
Key Informants Lennart Magnusson - Director of Swedish family care center
108
SOUTH KARELIA
DISTRICT OF
SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES
(EKSOTE)
Country Finland
Strength of Evidence Weak
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative System
Target group Older people (aged 75+) carers
Target people reached 31000
Main PSSGI Integrated Health and Social Care
Started in 2010
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Before the EKSOTE programme started operating in 1996 hospitals in the region were significantly overloaded This had a
negative impact on the quality of the service provided particularly for disabled and elderly people whose access to follow-up care
was badly managed The previous governance system of social care provision was plagued with recurrent delays and coordination issues The Finnish health care system is structured around municipality-based units which have assumed responsibility for primary care and region-based units which absolve other functions related to health care organization and coordination with the national level
In 1997 the AQP (AssessQualify-Place ) operations units centralized patient follow-up care in order to speed up the process of allocating this type of care to patients who had been discharged from the central hospital In 2010 EKSOTE started to manage all the social and health care services in nine municipalities With the
109
implementation of EKSOTE the traditional division between
primary and secondary care structures disappeared (at least in the EKSOTE municipalities) As compared to traditional ways of delivering social security services EKSOTE places a higher priority on assessing service needs and providing advisory and instructional services in alternative forms For example it has put in place a mobile and
internet health service network (an ICT-enabled social innovation)
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
Finnish country wide ICT policy also related to the European Digital Agenda
Aim of the initiative The objective of EKSOTE was to improve the coordination among social service providers and improve the quality of service It also aimed to provide equal access to social and health care
services to all citizens in the region it operates in across the
boundaries of municipalities by developing an integrated care process
Financial Model Public funding By spending on rehabilitation and preventive action South Karelia has been able to achieve better cost effectiveness
Results The improved integration and coordination of social services provision has brought the following benefits bull improvement of access and take-up bull simplification of administration bull better targeted and personalised services
bull cost-effectiveness of social services which meet the needs of citizens
Role of ICTs EKSOTE implemented a process of digitalization in the South Karelia Region starting from 2010 bull Thanks to its innovative use of a centralized placement service
(AssessQualify-Place or AQP) it has contributed to better
targeted more appropriate and personalized quality service bull In addition to AQP another fundamental feature of EKSOTE is
the creation of the Business Intelligence Model (BIM)Data for BIM are collected from several sources and can be used to predict demand service planning user analysis and the calculation of indicators
bull The EKSOTE BIM plays an important role for the management
system in social and health care system as it allows the common and regional indicators to combine the user groups and measure the usage of services and especially to report and analyse the data classified in a new way
Lessons learned bull The initiative has been considered a best practice and the
government the piloting system takes advantage of components that are already in use in most social and healthcare sector organizations and does not require major hardware or software investments or any changes to the overall
system architecture bull EKSOTE has been promoted by the Finnish government which is
trying to scale out the initiative to a nationwide level In this
respect many municipalities are visiting EKSOTE office so as to study the initiative and replicate it within their territories
bull The methodology underpinning the initiative shows a high degree of transferability of the experience to other European contexts
Key Informants Merja Tepponen - Chief Development Officer of Health and Social care Department
110
PATHWAY
ACCOMMODATION
AND SUPPORT
SYSTEM (PASS)
Country Ireland
Strength of Evidence Moderate
Scale Regional
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Service
Target group Homeless
Target people reached
Main PSSGI Social housing
Started in 2011
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background Homelessness is a complex social problem and there is no simple solution The primary need of homeless people is appropriate long‐term housing In conjunction with this need for housing
many homeless people also have physical health mental health
addiction andor other support needs that must be addressed in order for them to be able to stop being homeless In Ireland the health services and local authorities share responsibility for the provision of shelter support and housing for homeless people The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 addresses the needs of homeless citizens in Ireland and outlines a statutory
obligation for local authorities to have an action plan and to set up a Homelessness Consultative Forum and a Statutory Management Group The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has overall responsibility for the planning development and coordination of
111
homeless and related housing and support services in the Dublin
region and is responsible for the statutory funding across the spectrum of services that comprise the Pathway to Home model of service
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
National Homeless Strategy The Way Home
Aim of the initiative PASS is a client management system for homeless service users
that also aims to provide to the public authorities and other stakeholders involved statistical information on homelessness and use of related services in order to bull monitor the effectiveness of the strategy bull identify emerging trends related to homelessness bull monitor and improve service delivery helping the agencies to
work together to provide a continuum of care and integrate
service delivery
bull plan the development of future services
Financial Model The PASS System is financed by DRHE resources from two main sources i) Section 10 funding from Central Government (DECLG) to local authorities under the 1998 Housing Act combined with a
contribution (at 10) of funding directly from each local authorityrsquos revenue streams and ii) the Health Service Executive - a central funder of homeless services in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programmes
Results bull PASS has allowed DRHE to increase efficiency of bed occupancy
to a rate of 99 of capacity by sharing information between all the agencies that support homeless people
bull DRHErsquos initial target to create 700 tenancies in 2014 was exceeded and 792 tenancies were created
bull According to the Homeless Authority of Dublin the PASS
platform can effectively support the decision-making process on
capital investment in housing provision bull Access to real-time data has allowed authorities and other
stakeholders providing services to the homeless to deliver higher quality services to respond effectively to the target usersrsquo needs and to optimize financial and human resources
Role of ICTs ICT-enabled social innovation has produced substantial
improvements in the sustainability and cost effectiveness of the social service delivery models It has played a dual role bull As an enabling factor as it facilitates a better cost-effective
partnership between all public and private stakeholders involved in the process of delivering social housing services
bull As a ldquogame-changer access to real-time data helps all actors
involved (public and private) to understand analyse and respond in a qualitatively better and more cost-efficient way
Lessons learned bull In terms of scalability PASS will be developed to become a new
lsquocloudrsquo technological computing system bull Further development of a specific data strategy is needed in
order to ensure the success of this initiative at national level
Key Informants Daacuteithiacute Downey Deputy Director Head of Policy and Service Delivery Dublin Region Homeless Executive Ireland
112
TELECARE
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME IN
SCOTLAND (TDP)
Country United Kingdom (Scotland)
Strength of Evidence Strong
Scale Regional (National)
Enabler Public
Type of initiative Policy
Target group Older people
Target people reached 45000
Main PSSGI Independent living
Started in 2006 (ended in 2011)
Key dimensions of IESI
conceptual framework
Typologies of ICT-enabled innovation potential
Elements of social innovation
Technicalincremental
innovation
Needs-drivenoutcomes-
oriented production
Sustainedorganisational
innovation
Open process of co-creationcollaborative innovation networks
Disruptivetransformative innovation
Fundamental change in the relationships between
stakeholders
Radicaltransformative innovation
Public value allocation andor re-allocation
Levels of governance of
service integration Types of services integration
Isolated Funding
Intra-governmental integration
Administrative
Inter-governmental integration
Organisational
Inter-sectoral integration Service delivery
Pervasive
Background In Scotland a growing incidence of disability and long-term illness brought about the requirement for health and care service
support Between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 the Scottish Governmentrsquos expenditure on the people aged 60 and over
increased by 5 per annum in real terms to pound51 billion a year The Scottish government established that care of frailer older people with continuing health problems should focus on better support for them at home To this end it focused strongly on the development of telecare and telehealth The Scottish Telecare Development Programme (TDP) was a funding initiative run by Scottish Government between 2006 and
2011 to drive the adoption of telecare by local health and social care services The strategy was to stimulate Scottish local partnerships to redesign existing home care services with a two-step funding programme The main actors comprised the housing and social care departments of the Local Authorities and the local
113
NHS Boards that represent the health care professionals in charge
of community-based health service provisioning Together they promoted and designed the telecare initiative to be funded by the National Government and helped drive its implementation in the local contexts The Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT) was established to support and guide the development of telehealth and telecare throughout Scotland
Policy program
supporting the
initiative
The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) for Scotland was launched in August 2006 as a policy initiative
Aim of the initiative The objective of the TDP funding initiative was to stimulate the 32 Scottish local health and care partnerships (made up of local Health Boards and Local Authorities) to develop and mainstream telecare services Its main objectives could be summarized as follows
bull Increase the productivity of social protection systems and of
healthcare delivery including formal and informal care bull Increase the sustainability of the social protection system
particularly by reducing the number of avoidable admissions to care homes
bull Increase the quality of services for both carers and users bull Support system integration
bull Reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty and disability among older people through disease prevention health promotion and rehabilitation
bull Facilitate hospital discharge bull Increase self-care and independent living at home
Financial Model Two-step funding programme in 2006-2008 awarded to the initiatives that addressed the specification of the bid in 2008-2011 to the initiatives which were satisfactorily developed Development support was also offered through the Scottish Governmentrsquos Joint Improvement Team (JIT) to those
partnerships that were not progressing as planned
Results The TDPrsquos effects were comprehensively assessed throughout the programme bull Informal carers felt that telecare had reduced pressurestress
and facilitated greater independence for users bull 60 of users reported improvements to their quality of life bull Patients were discharged faster from hospital while the number
of emergency admissions was reduced
bull The single biggest saving was coming from the avoided care home admissions estimated cost savings for the sector of approximately euro 954 million at 2011 prices
bull Telecare could efficiently address the special caring needs of people living with dementia
Role of ICTs bull ICTs played an important role in the deployment and
mainstreaming of the services across Scottish territory interoperability problems constituted important barriers to the
development and sustainability of the services
Lessons learned bull In the more successful TDP initiatives now mainstreamed in
their local communities Community Health Partnerships played
a fundamental role in ensuring cooperation bull Considering the high initial investment costs the replication and
expansion of the initiative to similar contexts is regarded as a key factor for its sustainability
Key Informants Donna Henderson European Engagement Manager Scottish
Centre for Telehealth and Telecare NHS 24 Doreen Watson Telecare Consultant Joint Improvement Team Scottish Government
114
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Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
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by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) () () The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
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KJ-N
A-2
8570-E
N-N
doi102760256658
ISBN 978-92-79-68102-8
